On December 9, French leather goods and accessories brand Polène opened its first London store at 74-76 Regent Street, next to Ugg and opposite Barbour. The store extends over an area of 450 square metres on two floors.

The store’s interiors, as is usual for the buoyant leather goods brand, have an understated luxury feel, and feature Polène’s leather craftsmanship as the common thread. For example, a staircase with a braided leather banister takes customers to the upper floor, made by the artisans working at Alma Studio, a long-established British workshop specialised in leather furnishings.

Polène, which now operates stores in France, the UK, South Korea and Tokyo, has also discreetly inaugurated its third Parisian store.

On December 14, in the run-up to Christmas, the brand opened the ground floor of its flagship at number 2 on the Champs-Elysées roundabout, in the heart of the French capital. The store has a total retail area of 700 square metres (only 240 have currently been opened), and is very popular, so that customers often need to queue before entering. The store is set to be fully operational in the first half of 2025.

Polène was founded in 2016 by Antoine, Mathieu and Elsa Mothay, two brothers and a sister, grandchildren of the designer behind French ready-to-wear label Saint James. In August, LVMH-backed investment fund L Catterton acquired a stake in the understated luxury brand.  

According to official filings, the French DNVB generated revenue of €143 million in 2023, of which 28% via its monobrand stores. Polène is planning to extend its retail footprint with openings in Germany, one of its main markets, and in the USA.