Champion opens first Parisian store with Index+Archives line

Champion has opened a showcase in Paris. The US sportswear brand, renowned for its fleece hoodies and sweatshirts, has inaugurated a new address at 93 rue Saint-Honoré, at premises previously home to the space dedicated to skateboarding by Parisian streetwear retailer Starcow, close to the Starcow flagship and stores by Bleu de Paname and Carhartt.

Alongside these urban fashion brands, Champion has found the ideal environment for its first French store, featuring the brand’s premium line, Index+Archives. As the name suggests, the line is a contemporary reinterpretation of products selected from the archives of the brand founded in 1919 in North Carolina, notably items developed for US universities. It also includes US-made directional sportswear outfits, and others made in Japan using high-quality fabrics.

Index+Archives complements Champion’s more sophisticated Reverse Weave line (from the name of the manufacturing technique used in the 1930s), and was launched a year and a half ago. The line adds a fresh vibe to vintage Champion looks, and is developed by Jay Escobara, Champion’s vice-president in charge of design, who previously worked on Foot Locker’s own product lines, and notably at Ralph Lauren, where he oversaw menswear design for Polo and Polo Sport. The Index+Archives collections feature carefully curated versions of Champion archive items, with hoodies priced between €100 and €250.

By opening this 60 sq m store in the heart of Paris, Champion has a new venue to showcase its heritage in a key city for the streetwear segment. It’s the third Index+Archives store in Europe, alongside those in Milan and London. The line is distributed also via 15 avant garde multibrand retailers in France, and some 100 across Europe as whole, by Champion’s European subsidiary.

Although Champion seems to be about to be sold (the offer by Authentic Brands Group is said to be in pole position among the three currently on the table, as Champion owner Hanes Brands is looking for the highest bidder), the brand’s European subsidiary is still active and expanding its retail footprint. Altogether, Champion is currently operating 120 monobrand stores in Europe.