Surface to Air

Marble clad and luxurious, the sleek new Surface to Air women’s wear boutique on Saint-Germain’s Rue de Grenelle signal’s a new direction for the label that has come to epitomise street-chic. The original style lab par excellence, Surface to Air was founded as a creative agency just over a decade ago, by a group of young Paris-based designers who wanted to “preserve their aesthetic independence” in the business of fashion, film, photography, design, and communications. The first fashion boutique-atelier opened in 2007 on Rue de l’Arbre Sec, near the Louvre, and drew a hip young crowd that identified with the label’s minimal aesthetic, which was expressed via edgy fashions, offbeat jewellery and accessories that wore the label’s hipster creds lightly.

Six years later, Surface to Air is a global fashion brand touted in fashion-forward boutiques worldwide, with dedicated shops in Paris, New York and São Paulo, and multimedia contracts for the likes of Givenchy, Louis Vuitton and Dom Pérignon.

The label’s Marais flagship boutique-cum-art gallery melds seamlessly with the street’s of-the-moment boutiques and galleries. Now Surface to Air has signalled its coming of age with the women’s wear boutique on Paris’s hyper-sophisticated Left Bank. Although they’ve grown out of using skulls and bunny sweaters, they haven’t sold out their original vision. The new boutique concentrates on what the label does best: cutting edge separates in luxurious materials, and quality tailoring at a modest price. There’s still plenty of upscale denim and leather, along with cocktail wear, sensational deep-hued prints and plenty of black, in styles for day and evening.

Collaborations remain an important part of the brand’s allure. Their capsule collections have been designed by the likes of Kim Gordon (of the band Sonic Youth and clothing label X-Brand), and most recently Alison Mosshart (indie rockers The Kills and The Dead Weather). Surface to Air’s choice selection of shoes and stylish accessories continue to be some of the best, most affordable around.

Surface to Air, 22 Rue de Grenelle, 7th arrondissement, + 33 (0)1 44 61 76 27

Originally published in the August-September 2013 issue of France Today