{"id":241,"date":"2026-11-05T23:54:51","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T20:54:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wom.beauty\/?p=241"},"modified":"2026-11-05T23:54:51","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T20:54:51","slug":"britains-oldest-luxury-house-swaine-opens-paris-boutique","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wom.beauty\/?p=241","title":{"rendered":"Britain’s Oldest Luxury House Swaine Opens Paris Boutique"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n\tPARIS<\/strong> \u2014 Britain\u2019s oldest luxury label has landed in Paris.<\/p>\n

\n\tSwaine has opened a boutique on Avenue George V across the street from the American Cathedral, and a stone\u2019s throw from Herm\u00e8s and Louis Vuitton. It marks the introduction in France of quintessentially British products including attach\u00e9 cases, fedoras and umbrellas used by movie characters ranging from James Bond to Indiana Jones and Mary Poppins.<\/p>\n

\n\tSince it was founded in 1750 as a whip maker, the London-based house has supplied British royalty ranging from King George III to Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III. Over the years it has incorporated umbrella maker Brigg & Co. and hat manufacturer Herbert Johnson, whose signature creations are also sold in the Paris store.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt marks Swaine\u2019s second overseas opening this year as the brand seeks to grow beyond its historically male, Anglo-Saxon clientele.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSwaine is evolving toward a more global, international presence, while broadening its appeal across genders,\u201d Florence Di Taranto, who took over as chief executive officer of Swaine last month, told WWD.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cLeadership is no longer exclusively male; it also speaks to a female audience that wields power. The brand\u2019s evolution is about opening up to these different segments and audiences,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Swaine's<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

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\t\t\t\t\tSwaine\u2019s Bel-Air handbag.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Swaine<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tIn tandem with its opening at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles in May, the label launched new women\u2019s handbag styles like the Malibu tote, which can be rolled into a cylindrical travel case, or the Bel-Air, which combines whip-like woven leather handles with ostrich skin, in a departure from its trademark bridle leather.<\/p>\n

\n\tPrices for bags range from 1,800 euros to 9,360 euros, but Swaine also offers a bespoke service, with a big screen connecting customers at the Paris store directly to the workshops located at its New Bond Street flagship in London.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cClients can design every last detail of their Swaine product, creating a truly unique object. That remains a key point of differentiation from other players in the category,\u201d Di Taranto noted. \u201cThe production time depends on the complexity of the piece, of course, but clients should allow around two to four months.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\tFrench Owner\t<\/h2>\n

\n\tWithin walking distance of high-end hotels including the Four Seasons George V, Prince de Galles, Bulgari and Barri\u00e8re Le Fouquet\u2019s, the Paris boutique seeks to draw a cosmopolitan clientele. But since its soft opening two weeks ago, it has also seen a steady stream of locals curious about the brand, which previously had no presence in the country.<\/p>\n

\n\tVisitors may be surprised to discover that Swaine is now French, having been acquired in 2021 by Chargeurs, the industrial and financial holding that has since changed names several times.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn October, the group rebranded itself as Belgrano, reflecting its repositioning as a new luxury player active across segments ranging from fibers, such as its sustainable and traceable Nativa wool, to business services and fabrication for the museum, cultural and entertainment sectors, via market leader Museum Studio.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

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\t\t\t\t\tA selection of signature products from Swaine. <\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMark Sanders\/Courtesy of Swaine<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tAs part of that transformation, built around the tagline \u201cArchitect of Rarity,\u201d Belgrano earlier this year sold Novacel, a specialized manufacturer of protective films, to U.S. private equity firm KPS Capital Partners. It has also initiated a sale process for British brand Cambridge Satchel, whose price positioning is no longer in line with its strategy.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe group makes 95 percent of its revenues overseas, with a significant client hub in the United States, but also in Asia, said Marie Tronel, head of image and media at Belgrano. It spies great potential in bringing exceptional craftsmanship and heritage brands to a global audience of tastemakers.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe believe that in a world where AI, algorithms and industrialization are disrupting everything, the value of history \u2014 and of things that cannot be substituted, replaced or imitated \u2014 will only grow. For us, these are highly compelling value propositions,\u201d Tronel said.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat philosophy permeates Swaine\u2019s Paris boutique, which features artworks from the collection of Micha\u00ebl Fribourg, chairman and CEO of Belgrano Group, including paintings by Hans Hartung, Andr\u00e9 Brasilier and Bella Foster, and ceramics by Pablo Picasso and Seung Hee Lee.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn addition to its two London boutiques on New Bond Street and in Burlington Arcade, Swaine operates the Los Angeles store; a shop-in-shop at the Fairmont hotel in Montreux, Switzerland; and concessions at Harrods in London, The Playhouse in Tokyo and B Hemmings & Co. in Toronto.<\/p>\n

\n\tForty percent of its clients come from the U.K., 30 percent from North America, 15 percent from Europe, 10 percent from Asia and 5 percent from the Middle East. <\/p>\n

\n\tAs part of its selective retail expansion, the house plans to open another store in Washington, D.C., next spring and has its eyes on further locations in the Middle East and Asia.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\u2018Hidden Treasure\u2019\t<\/h2>\n

\n\tAlongside luxury brush maker Altesse Studio, Swaine belongs to Belgrano\u2019s personal goods division, which logged revenues of 9.3 million euros in the first nine months of 2026, up 24 percent versus the same period last year, according to figures published on Thursday. Group revenues totaled 288.1 million euros, down 8 percent in reported terms.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"The<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

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\t\t\t\t\tThe Swaine boutique in Paris. <\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMatthieu Salvaing\/Courtesy of Swaine<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tComparing Swaine to a \u201chidden treasure,\u201d Di Taranto said it intends to remain a niche player, with up to 10 locations worldwide by the end of 2028.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re not going to compare ourselves with other major players in the market. Our ambition is to remain exclusive while exploring new territories,\u201d the executive said.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe want to remain a house of artisans, with exceptional craftsmanship. That means small teams of craftspeople doing the work by hand. There is no industrialization or mechanized production: it is the human hand that shapes our products and works the leather. That inevitably limits the scope for growth,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\n\tSwaine\u2019s products are woven throughout British history, including the briefcase used by Winston Churchill, the caps and berets worn by the country\u2019s military, and the postilion whips used during the wedding parade of Prince William and Kate Middleton.<\/p>\n

\n\tThey also feature prominently in Hollywood lore, from the Poet fedora favored by Indiana Jones to Cillian Murphy\u2019s flat cap in \u201cPeaky Blinders,\u201d and the umbrella used by Gene Kelly in \u201cSingin\u2019 in the Rain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThose products all feature in the Paris boutique, alongside a selection of goods from other brands curated under the Swaine Heritage Club label \u2014 among them bangles from Halcyon Days, automatic music boxes from Reuge and Merrythought teddy bears.<\/p>\n

\n\tHaving reapplied for its royal warrant, the brand sees its presence in Paris as a way to bolster its luxury credentials.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIf you look at the origins of luxury brands, Paris was the world capital of the great houses in the 19th century. For us, establishing a presence here feels like a natural next step, and a way to affirm our legitimacy in exceptional craftsmanship, which Swaine wants to continue to shape,\u201d Di Taranto said.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

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\t\t\t\t\tA handbag is finished at Swaine\u2019s leather goods workshop in London.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJeremie Souteyrat\/Courtesy of Swaine<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n


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