Géraldine Guyot — who channels her passion for modern and contemporary art into unique handbags, jewelry, ready-to-wear and hats — has been wearing a new hat herself: interior designer.
The cofounder and designer of Destree has been scouring antique markets and dealers on both sides of the Atlantic ahead of the brand’s biggest move yet: opening a New York flagship — and on Madison Avenue no less.
The 1,300-square-foot location at 837 Madison Avenue, dressed entirely in the brand’s signature anise green shade and appointed with unique furniture finds, is slated to open to the public on Friday during New York Fashion Week, with a celebratory event scheduled for Sept. 12.
“We had been searching for the perfect space for so long,” Guyot said in an exclusive interview, referring to herself and cofounder Laetitia Lumbroso. “It’s next door to Prada, which is a brand I love, and other competitors I look up to.”
The boutique is located at 837 Madison Avenue.
Courtesy of Destree
It isn’t lost on her that that Italian brand’s stores are nearly synonymous with minty green walls, but Guyot wasn’t about to give up Destree’s signature shade, used for packaging and other branding elements since 2016.
“I had cold feet,” she acknowledged. “But everyone I spoke to said we shouldn’t change the color, which is a different shade anyways. Our store has a different vibe.”
A unique and bold approach to color, combined with its “Parisian minimalist aesthetic,” has been fueling rapid expansion for Destree, which tripled revenues in 2023, Guyot said.
She declined to give figures, but said the brand has been going from strength to strength on the back of hero styles like its puff-sleeved, vaguely period Amoako jackets, and Gunther handbags embellished with lollipop-like swirls of passementerie, and now available in a mini version.
Visitors to the new Madison Avenue shop will have access to made-to-order Amoako suits in 30 colors, whereas they usually come only in black, white and a handful of shades or prints each season.
Guyot said the distinctive style has proven popular with women in their 20s through to women in their 70s, who prize its feminine — one might even say demure — allure, lustrous fabrics and versatility for everything from cocktail parties to weddings.
She also credited unique price positioning for the brand’s appeal: Amoako jackets retail for about $530, while a full-sized leather Gunther runs at $760. Jewelry items fall mostly in the $300 to $400 range.
A fall 2024 look from Destree.
Charlotte Beardsley
The U.S. is Destree’s top market and accounts for about a third of its business; American wholesale accounts include Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks, The Webster and Just One Eye. France, the U.K. and South Korea are also important markets, followed by Japan and China.
Opening a Manhattan flagship will give Destree’s current devotees in the U.S. a chance to discover the brand’s complete product range and DNA expression, and introduce the label to a new audience on the Upper East Side, Guyot said.
When she and Lumbroso opened a 500-square-foot Destree boutique in Paris two years ago, the partners were pleasantly surprised how many international wholesale partners and clients it yielded.
The brand has since opened a freestanding location in Seoul, with a partner, and it counts about 75 wholesale customers worldwide.
At the new Madison Avenue flagship, in a space previously occupied by French shirt and blouse specialist Anne Fontaine, Destree plan to host monthly “atelier” events around artists, chefs and other creatives to better cultivate its top clients and “communicate about our values and passions,” Guyot said.
Art remains one, and Guyot commissioned French artist Tiffany Bouelle to create a painting, in green shades, for the new store.
The New York boutique arrives roughly two years after Destree completed a Series A funding round to add staff, open freestanding stores, expand into new or underdeveloped markets, and supercharge e-commerce operations and digital-native marketing.
Indeed, Destree relies on influential women to boost the brand’s profile by wearing its designs. These include the ones who have invested in the fast-growing company, including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Reese Witherspoon, Gisele Bündchen, Gabriela Hearst, venture capital firm Sequoia Capital China, Venezuelan businesswoman Carmen Busquets, actress and beauty entrepreneur Jessica Alba, Glossier founder Emily Weiss and venture capitalist Amy Griffin of G9 Ventures.
“We’re lucky because everything is organic, we’ve never paid anyone,” Guyot said. “That’s how we’ve built our influencer network.”
More recently, the likes of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nina Dobrev, Camila Morrone, Demi Moore and Rosé from Blackpink have been spotted wearing Destree.
Destree also enjoyed a heady inflection moment last year with Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” world tour, during which the American singer sported some bespoke headwear.
Guyot was flabbergasted to see closeups of her designs flash on the giant screens in Stade de France. “That was quite an achievement for everyone on the team,” she said. “Everyone felt super proud.”
Destree’s Albert bag.
Charlotte Beardsley