Loulou de Saison has opened its first international boutique inside Bloomingdale’s 59th Street flagship in New York, choosing a compact department-store foothold before committing to a standalone American lease. The 430-square-foot shop-in-shop opened on the fourth floor beside Chloé, Proenza Schouler, Isabel Marant and Toteme.
The French label plans to follow with a standalone New York store in 2027, cofounder and creative director Chloé Harrouche told WWD. That sequence turns the Bloomingdale’s space into more than a sales corner. It is a live test of product mix, pricing, customer acquisition and service expectations in one of the world’s most competitive fashion markets.
A concession offers information at lower fixed cost
A department-store boutique gives Loulou de Saison access to established foot traffic, local staff infrastructure and Bloomingdale’s customer relationships. It can observe which categories and sizes sell without immediately taking on the full costs of a street location, construction, staffing and long-term rent.
The placement also creates a useful competitive frame. Shoppers encounter the brand alongside labels with similar contemporary or designer positioning, allowing Loulou de Saison to see whether its promise of restrained Parisian dressing remains distinctive when presented in the same physical environment. Online sales data cannot fully reproduce that comparison because customers arrive through targeted marketing or a direct brand search.
The shop’s Art Deco-inspired apartment design is intended to translate the brand’s Paris identity into a tactile setting. That matters for a label built around fabric, proportion and wardrobe continuity rather than highly visible logos. Customers need room to handle knitwear, assess tailoring and understand how pieces combine.
The brand has reached the scale for selective retail
Harrouche launched the business with chief executive Ugo Bensoussan in 2019 under the name Loulou Studio, initially emphasizing knitwear after building an audience through her work as an Instagram influencer. The company rebranded as Loulou de Saison in December 2024 and has expanded into tailoring, denim, leather, swimwear, shoes and handbags.
Revenue reached €15.5 million in 2025, up 3.5 percent, and the company projects €20 million in 2026, according to WWD. It is sold through 338 points of sale in 44 countries, with wholesale accounting for 70 percent of revenue. Those numbers explain both the opportunity and the risk of opening stores. Wholesale has given the brand broad reach with limited property commitments, but direct retail can produce richer margins, customer data and control over presentation.
The company has been adding physical locations gradually. It opened a second Paris store in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, operates at Galeries Lafayette’s Paris flagship and added a Nice corner in May. A Bordeaux concession is planned for October, while the brand recently opened at Le Bon Marché. Harrouche has also indicated plans for another Paris store and later expansion into Asia and the Middle East with partners.
New York will test price, recognition and repeat demand
The U.S. market is large, but awareness generated through social media and wholesale accounts does not automatically support a standalone boutique. The Bloomingdale’s corner can measure whether customers return for multiple categories rather than making a single trend-led purchase. It can also reveal how the assortment performs across New York’s climate and work patterns.
Loulou de Saison is positioned at the upper end of contemporary fashion, where brands can benefit from frustration with luxury price increases. That gap is attractive but crowded. Shoppers expect material quality and distinctive design while remaining sensitive to prices that approach established luxury labels. Consistent fit, delivery and after-sales service will influence whether the brand converts discovery into loyalty.
Dependence on wholesale presents another balancing act. Direct stores should expand the brand without undercutting retail partners that built its international distribution. Exclusive products, controlled markdowns and coordinated launches can help avoid channel conflict. Bloomingdale’s itself has an incentive to give the shop visibility if it brings a younger French label that customers cannot find everywhere.
A measured path abroad
The decision to start with 430 square feet is strategically conservative. It gives the brand a physical New York address and a complete visual environment while limiting exposure before the planned 2027 store. The drawback is that department-store traffic and merchandising conditions may not predict performance in a standalone location.
Loulou de Saison’s international growth will depend on preserving the clarity that made a focused Paris wardrobe travel through wholesale. More stores create opportunities to tell that story, but they also add inventory and operating complexity. Bloomingdale’s is a sensible rehearsal because it generates real customer evidence before the company signs up for a much larger stage.
