1988: Paris Archive Showroom and Lending Library Opens by Appointment
In mid-June, Maël Larcher (Lee Young-Kyoon) and Xiaoyu Jiang launched 1988, a showroom and lending library in Paris that operates by appointment only. Situated close to Notre Dame, the space showcases approximately 2,000 pieces of high-end designer and American vintage clothing available for rental or sale. The name 1988 signifies the year of birth of the founders and notable fashion events. Larcher, previously a designer at Dior Homme, and Jiang offer a curated selection, featuring exclusive Helmut Lang jackets and a dress by Phoebe Philo. Their collection also includes items from Christophe Lemaire, Comme des Garçons, Jil Sander, and Louis Vuitton x Rei Kawakubo. They aim to collaborate further and acquire more pieces from Helmut Lang and Raf Simons. The couple tied the knot in December 2019.
Key facts
- 1988 is an appointment-only archive showroom and lending library in Paris opened by Maël Larcher and Xiaoyu Jiang in mid-June.
- The space is located near Notre Dame on the Quai des Grands Augustins and contains about 2,000 pieces for rental or purchase.
- The name 1988 refers to the birth year of both founders and the year Miuccia Prada showed her first women's ready-to-wear collection.
- Larcher spent 10 years at Dior Homme, including two years as an intern with Kris Van Assche and eight years in Kim Jones's studio.
- The collection includes rare Helmut Lang pieces, a Phoebe Philo Celine dress from spring 2017, and Malcolm McLaren pants gifted by Kim Jones.
- Rental items are distinguished by cedar wood flowers placed at the neck of hangers.
- The couple married in December 2019 and started thinking of the archive as a business this year.
- They plan to collaborate with Habiter, a Shanghai store, to juxtapose clothing with vintage furniture during fashion week.
Entities
Artists
- Maël Larcher
- Lee Young-Kyoon
- Xiaoyu Jiang
- Miuccia Prada
- Helmut Lang
- Raf Simons
- Phoebe Philo
- Malcolm McLaren
- Kim Jones
- Christophe Lemaire
- Rei Kawakubo
- Kris Van Assche
- Jonathan Anderson
- Max Richter
- Mathieu Rainaud
Institutions
- Dior Homme
- Celine
- Comme des Garçons Homme Plus
- Jil Sander
- Louis Vuitton
- Esmod
- Habiter
- Sweet-Or
- Russell
- Flagg
- Champion
- Mayo Spruce
- Miu Miu
- Vogue
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Vienna
- Austria
- Reims
- Shanghai
- China
- Quai des Grands Augustins
- Notre Dame
- Japan