Rouje embarks on season of strategic openings

After inaugurating its first store outside of France last spring, at 51 South Molton Street in the exclusive Mayfair district of London, Jeanne Damas’ fashion label continued to make significant headway this summer, accelerating its retail expansion as the new season begins.

As previously reported by FashionNetwork.com in April, the Parisian brand set its sights on New York, opening its first store in the city this summer. Spanning 200 square meters, the boutique in Soho offers clothing, accessories, and beauty collections, including ‘Les Filles en Rouje’, marking Rouje’s foray into the U.S. market, perfectly timed for the New York Fashion Week events in early September.

The store, located at 476 Broome Street, stays true to Rouje’s minimalist aesthetic with a touch of chic Parisian flair. The interior decoration includes two paintings by artist Nina Koltchitskaia, reminiscent of the art galleries prevalent in the New York neighborhood.

“I’ve been planning to open a Rouje store in New York for a long time, as it’s a city I love and that inspires my collections. It’s a real milestone for the brand and a dream come true,” said entrepreneur and model Jeanne Damas. It’s worth noting that the brand’s autumn collection has been influenced by the minimalist style of New York women.

With more openings planned, this New York store marks the first step in Rouje’s long-term plan to expand its presence in the United States.

Two new openings in the French market

In parallel, on August 1, Rouje opened two new boutiques in France, emphasizing its ambitions in the local market. As previously announced in April, the project involved the opening of the brand’s first store in Bordeaux, located at 5 rue Jean Jacques Rousseau. The boutique offers a shopping area of 100 square meters and is conveniently situated near La Galerie des Grands Hommes shopping center.

Furthermore, Jeanne Damas’ brand launched its third store in Paris, where it already operates an “evolving” space at 16 rue de Turenne, opened in November 2022, and its boutique at 11 bis rue Bauchaumont, which also serves as the company’s headquarters.

The 130-square-meter store, located in Paris’ 16th arrondissement at 83 avenue Victor Hugo, shares the spotlight with other French brands like Petit Bateau and Ba&sh. Designed by architect Maxime Bousquet, the boutique aims to create an “intimate atmosphere.”

Rouje’s physical presence in Paris also includes two points of sale in the Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussmann. On the other side of the Seine, its collections are available at Le Bon Marché.

Looking ahead, the brand, led by entrepreneur Jérôme Basselier, is continuing to develop its beauty segment. Launched in 2018, the line was renamed ‘Les Filles en Rouje’ in May of last year and is sold through Rouje’s own points of sale and Oh My Cream! stores. The line includes a complete range of cosmetics and makeup and includes products for both facial and hair care. Its most recent launch, just last week, was a ‘made in France’ hydrating lip oil. 

Optimizing internal organization

FashionNetwork.com has confirmed that Emilie Rodié de Montmarin, Rouje’s marketing director since January 2021, has left the company. This has led the brand to restructure its internal team, to “better meet consumer expectations and address new market challenges.”

As a result, the brand’s communications department, led by Audrey Michaud Missegue since May of last year, has taken on some of the responsibilities and objectives previously managed by the marketing team. Additionally, the image and e-commerce departments are now handling the remaining tasks.

While the most recent publicly available financial data for the company dates back to 2017 when Rouje reported revenues of 2.5 million euros, Les Echos estimates the brand’s value at 70 million euros after Rouje secured 10 million euros from the Partech Growth fund in a 2020 funding round.