Paris Fashion Week has influenced fashion stores this month, leading to pop-ups and teasers to showcase new ranges and collections.

Pop-ups also continue to demonstrate their value by testing markets first and then creating a permanent location.

We also found a unique café this month that seems a continuation of the digital detox and slow living trends.

So read on for all the latest retail inspiration in Paris this October.

H&M, Marais

Fashion brand H&M has launched an exclusive pop-up in Paris.

Following the success of last year’s pop-up, and launched to coincide with Paris Fashion Week, the new store will be open until December. The space has been designed by Perron-Roettinger and has a futuristic style, with silver mannequins and lighting, and H&M red throughout.

The pop-up will stock the new Autumn-Winter 2024 collection, as well as capsules for H&M Studio and the launch of Atelier and Adorables, premium lines for menswear and kidswear respectively. This space will also include the Pre-Loved collection, a sustainability initiative to curate and showcase second-hand clothing.

The brand has involved local influencer Paola Locatelli to provide curation and styling tips for H&M products, and take part in other activation events.

Image credit: INGKA

IKEA, Place d’Italie

Dutch franchisee INGKA has launched a new IKEA store in the Italie Deux shopping centre.

The store is designed to make furniture and homeware purchasing more accessible for people living in the city. The space offers around 3,000 items that can be collected on the same day, with a further 7,000 products available. Customers will also be able to get advice on their rooms from a planning service and relax in a Swedish café.

This store will also be the first in Paris to offer a Buyback & Resell service for shoppers to get IKEA store credit for bringing back their old or unwanted IKEA furniture. These items are then sold in the Re-shop and Re-use areas in-store and online.

To celebrate the launch of the store, INGKA invited designer ZYVA to create an imaginative and dreamlike sleep-themed room using IKEA products.

Image credit: Asphalte

Asphalte, Rue des Petits Carreaux

After a number of pop-up stores across Paris, fashion brand Asphalte has launched its first physical store in the heart of Paris.

The store has a boutique feel, with the use of wood panels and curated and bespoke furniture. Visitors will find both menswear and womenswear on each floor to buy off the rack. Previously, customers could only purchase these products by pre-ordering online. Lines available include Asphalte’s permanent collection Eternals, returned unworn items, and other exclusives. Shoppers will also be able to try on upcoming collections on a weekly basis, to allow them to pre-order the correct size.

Other services available to visitors include alterations and repairs, and a returns service.

The Row, Rue du Mont

Luxury label The Row, owned by the Olsen sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley, has launched a new flagship in the city.

The space, housed in a former restaurant, has been extensively renovated to create an open space, although it retains some of the original flooring, columns, stained glass and industrial pipes. Blinds have been created for some of the windows with bespoke ribbons created by Lilou Marquand, and vintage rugs and furniture have been carefully chosen to give a rustic and understated elegance.

The sisters want the new boutique to be welcoming to customers and the local community, with bespoke pieces designed with Paris in mind. The main collection continues the label’s minimalist aesthetic.

Café Pli, Rue du Faubourg du Temple

Taking inspiration from Korea, a unique Café has launched in Paris, celebrating letters.

The space resembles historic cafes in Paris with relaxed lighting and wooden seating. There are letterboxes displaying posted letters and literary quotes on the walls.

Customers can order a pastry, drink, or lunch, and then write a letter to themselves or someone else in the future. Postcards, paper, pens, sealing wax and decorative stickers are available to choose from, and the letters can be posted in the café to be received in 1, 5 or 20 years’ time.

Other events are held in the café, such as workshops, book signings and discussions. Customers who visit on a Wednesday can also write a question in a letter and answer another left there.

Image credit: Balmain Beauty/Richard Pierce

Balmain Beauty, Marais

Luxury brand Balmain, in collaboration with Estee Lauder, launched its first store focused on beauty this month.

The launch coincided with Balmain’s show at Paris Fashion Week, and was teased on the catwalk, with models holding or wearing Balmain perfume bottles.

The fragrance range, Les Eternels de Balmain, will be available to purchase at the store. The collection uses historical Balmain scents as inspiration and includes eight fragrances such as Vent Vert, a floral scent, and Carbone, a musk perfume.

Customers will also be able to purchase the entire Balmain Beauty collection, with further lines planned.