colette Is Back (!!) As a Museum Store Honoring Virgil Abloh
colette was one of the earliest supporters of Virgil Abloh. So, it’s only right that the much-lauded (and much-missed) Parisian concept store return for a huge Parisian retrospective on Abloh.
On September 30, the Grand Palais in Paris will open its doors to Virgil Abloh: The Codes, a sprawling exhibition presenting the late fashion designer's 20,000-object archive. These are prototypes, sketches, objects, images, and creations from Abloh's personal collection, charting his career from founding the streetwear art project PYREX VISION to becoming Louis Vuitton Men’s creative director.
But the exhibition doesn’t end there, because even the museum shop is a piece of art. An installation by colette, the pioneering store co-founded by Sarah Andelman, will be on site.
According to a press release, it will act as “a living artwork and functioning shop.”
This one-time-only reopening of colette will feature collaborations designed by Abloh’s closest collaborators, limited edition merch, and reruns of previously released Abloh creations.
The collaborators include everyone from musician Travis Scott to American streetwear label Cactus Plant Flea Market (CPFM). The DJ collective BEEN TRILL, founded by Heron Preston, Virgil Abloh, and Matthew Williams, also makes an appearance in the list of collaborators, meaning there's not just one shuttered project reopening for this exhibition.
Other notable items available to shop are a reissue of the Virgil Abloh x Braun alarm clock collaboration and a French translation of Larry Warsh’s book Abloh-isms.
“I hope to revive both the memory of Virgil's unique vision and colette’s atmosphere,” said Sarah Andelman, founder of Just an Idea and co-founder of colette, in a statement. If anyone can do those two things, it is her.
That Andelman’s Parisian store stocked the third T-shirt Abloh ever made is a testament to both colette’s consistent support of young designers and Andelman’s sharp eye for up-and-coming talent.
Since its closure in 2017, Andelman has vowed never to do colette 2.0. However, on the occasion of a huge Virgil Abloh retrospective, colette returns for ten days.
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