Polène is on a roll! Following the opening of standalone stores in Paris, New York and Tokyo, the French brand opens up shop in what’s now widely seen as the new leading shopping destination in the Far East—Seoul. Founded only in 2016 by Parisian siblings Mathieu, Antoine and Elsa Mothay, the women’s leather goods brand creates handmade bags and pouches with a distinct contemporary silhouette, and clearly, a strong retail presence in leading global shopping destinations, is seen as a push for wider brand recognition. The Polène boutique measures 245 sqm. (2,637 sq.ft.) set across two floors of a fully redeveloped and designed building by local architecture practice WGNB. Inspired by the flexibility of leather, architect Jonghwan Baek imagined a leaf that would fit into the building, reconstructing the space through a combination of panels that envelop the space.

The result is a series of serene, uncluttered yet welcoming settings furnished with a curated range of sofas, displays and objects. The collection of store furnishings include leather chairs, carved ginkgo wood furniture by furniture maker Jungjoo Im, and a ceramic table by ceramist Dasol Lee which mimics the texture of leather with a clever trompe l’oeil technique. The latter pieces were custom-made to reflect Polène‘s desire to lend each boutique a unique interior design, but also to pay tribute to the savoir-faire of highly skilled local artisans. On the second floor, there is an evocative photo booth, called Photo Bloom, where shoppers can take photos with a large leather flower against the natural scenery that’s unique to the brand. The new Polène store carries the brand’s full range of bags, pouches and jewellery pieces. © superfuture