Cannes is hosting the famous international Film Festival, scheduled from Tuesday May 14 until May 25, generating a major media buzz and prompting many luxury labels to flock to the uber-chic French sea resort. Fendi recently inaugurated a prestigious store in Cannes, and Lanvin, Borsalino and Sergio Rossi have followed suit, opening temporary and permanent stores along the Croisette.
 

Lanvin has opened a boutique at 65 boulevard de la Croisette, celebrating the Parisian couture house’s return to Cannes just over a century after Jeanne Lanvin opened a first store in the Côte d’Azur resort in 1920, inside the Hotel Royal. Jeanne Lanvin had a close connection with the film and theatre world, and used to dress, among others, renowned French actresses Arletty and Yvonne Printemps, both on and off the set.
 
The Lanvin store was inaugurated on May 12, “in the form of a temporary boutique inspired by the look of an ocean liner,” a reference to the haute couture presentation staged by Jeanne Lanvin in 1935 on board the Normandie cruise ship, then on its maiden transatlantic voyage. The store’s blue carpeting and wood-panelled interiors complete with portholes are reminiscent of a ship’s cabin.

On display, a capsule collection of evening gowns and dinner jackets, plus several limited-edition accessories produced using the label’s dormant fabric stock, as well as postcards reproducing the sketches drawn by Jeanne Lanvin for some of her exclusive creations made in Cannes.
 
The store was originally intended to stay open for six months, but a Lanvin source told FashionNetwork.com it is set to become a permanent fixture, Lanvin’s third address in France alongside the Paris and Monaco stores. “After the end of the summer season, work on a permanent store featuring the new Lanvin retail concept will begin in winter, and the store will open in early 2025,” the label indicated in a press release.
 

 
Italian luxury footwear brand Sergio Rossi, owned like the eponymous Parisian label by Chinese company Lanvin Group, has opened a temporary store at the same Cannes address as Lanvin, between the Martinez and Carlton luxury hotels. The Sergio Rossi store will stay open for two years, until April 2026.
 
The store offers a “full immersion in the world of Sergio Rossi, with a focus on the Spring/Summer 2024 collection and on the brand’s iconic evergreen models,” characterised by “femininity with a sophisticated allure and a bold, contemporary feel.”
 
It is a significant milestone for Sergio Rossi, part of a retail expansion plan that includes the imminent opening of a store in Dubai, in the UAE, and a concession at the La Samaritaine department store in Paris. “We are busy heading towards new destinations, and we believe there are first-rate opportunities on several markets,” said Helen Wright, CEO of Sergio Rossi, who is hoping that the brand will be able to attract “a new audience of local and international customers” in Cannes.

Borsalino deploys new retail concept

Italian hat maker Borsalino has instead opened a permanent store in Cannes. The brand has a very tight link with the cinema world – having even lent its name to a famous film starring Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo – and is undoubtedly one of the fashion brands with the strongest claim to a Cannes presence. In a press release, Managing Director Mauro Baglietto said that “this part of the Côte d’Azur has always been a benchmark not only for high-class international tourism but also for the film world, with which Borsalino has always enjoyed an extremely strong connection.”

 
Borsalino has set up shop at 25 rue du Commandant André, not far from boulevard de la Croisette, at 50-square-metre premises showcasing its range of hats, caps and accessories for women and men. The store’s interiors feature the new retail concept developed by architect Nicola Quadri, characterised by a palette of soft, warm colours and an unfussy style, and is furnished with shelves in wood and glass and a large wooden table.
 
The new interior design has already been deployed by Borsalino at its Milanese flagship in via della Spiga, as well as at its store in the Tuscan sea resort of Forte dei Marmi and at the London flagship, inaugurated at the start of 2024. With the Cannes opening, Borsalino now operates 16 monobrand stores, most of them in Italy. Outside Italy, the hat maker has a store in London, one in Monaco and another in France, in rue de Grenelle in Paris.