FRANCE. Samaritaine Paris, owned by LVMH, is celebrating the summer with a spectacularly nostalgic Paris Magic City campaign.
Luxury travel retailer DFS Group (owned by LVMH and DFS Co-founder Bob Miller), which designed and manages the famed department store’s reimagined retail emporium, is paying homage in the campaign to Samaritaine Founders Ernest Cognacq and Marie-Louise Jaÿ.
They opened the doors to Paris Magic City, the city’s first amusement park, in 1900.
To provide an immersive amusement park experience, Samaritaine Paris has teamed up with famous Parisian amusement arcade, La Tête Dans Les Nuages to offer vintage arcade games in-store and Le Musée des Arts Forains to offer a playful array of in-store entertainment. The attractions include virtual pinball, a ball pit, a giant duck photo booth, claw machines, a fun house of mirrors, wooden carousel horses, cut-out boards and other fairground entertainment.
The complete amusement park-themed makeover has been curated by 3D artist Clément Morin and sculptor Pierre Brault.
A vibrant, digitally-driven transformation
The makeover features holographic details and vibrant purple, turquoise, pink and yellow hues, inspired by Samaritaine Paris’ emblem, the peacock.
Extending the campaign’s reach to the virtual world, Samaritaine Paris teamed up with Snapchat to create an exclusive augmented reality experiences in-store designed by Morin.
Morin transformed the grand staircase in the famed department store and Samaritaine Paris’s Art Nouveau façade on Rue de la Monnai with his evocative 3D artworks.
Commenting on his 3D artwork and Snapchat partnership, Morin said: “I wanted to retain the atmosphere of the original Magic City, but it was time to give it a modern and digital edge. It’s like a childhood dream come true, making your own amusement park — inspiration comes to me in shapes and colours. It feels like a place for imagination and freedom.
“When the users stand in front of the façade on Rue de la Monnai, it will come to life just like in my 3D piece: The cars will start moving, the slide will fill with water. It is always exciting to push the visual and artistic experience one step further. I haven’t mastered this augmented reality aspect, so I enjoy seeing what it can do.”
From 6 June to 30 August, shoppers in Samaritaine Paris can enjoy Le Paon Emblématique, a plexiglass sculpture by Pierre Brault which reimagines Samaritaine’s peacock emblem. Brault used translucent plexiglass-like building blocks, creating a stunning work of art on the ground floor of the Pont-Neuf building.
A magical amusement park experience
Samaritaine Paris collaborated with the Jeu de Paume museum to showcase its summer exhibition Paris, Le Monde, La Mode (Paris, The World, The Fashion) which celebrates the work of photographer Frank Horvat in-store.
The exhibition — running from 16 June to 17 September — features four unreleased photos of funfairs and amusement parks, tying into the theme of the Samaritaine Paris Magic City campaign.
A dazzling array of luxury brands, including Celine, Paco Rabanne, Gucci, Farm Rio, Maje, Claudie Pierlot, Veuve Clicquot, Longines and Hennessy are holding special pop-ups and launching capsule collections throughout the campaign period.
Throughout the campaign, Samaritaine Paris is holding regular events including weekly Hoop Tonic classes, and live performances from pop group AGAV and DJ Matild.
In addition, Voyage Samaritaine, the restaurant on the fifth floor, is offering cocktails, appetisers and desserts inspired by amusement parks throughout the summer. Ernest, Samaritaine Paris’ ground-floor bakery, has teamed up with pastry chef Erick Kayser to unveil a dedicated concept store celebrating the French baguette.
Samaritaine Paris also opened a dedicated Paris Magic City boutique which offers a wide selection of exclusive products from its powerful portfolio of brands across fashion, beauty, wellbeing, confectionery and lifestyle.
Pierre Hermé and Maison de Parfums make grand debut
This summer, Samaritaine Paris welcomed two new spaces: Pierre Hermé and Maison de Parfums. Renowned French pastry and chocolatier Pierre Hermé opened its doors in the basement of the Pont Neuf building on 17 May, offering its famous macarons.
Maison de Parfums is a dedicated space for niche fragrances. It is home to 14 fragrance brands including Matière Première, Maison Crivelli, BDK, Amouage, Miller Harris and Les Eaux Primordiales.
Maison de Parfums offers scents from Atelier Materi and Headspace which are exclusive to Samaritaine. It also houses limited-edition bottles from Chanel, Guerlain and Lalique.
Samaritaine Paris partnered with the Perfumist app to give shoppers personalised fragrance recommendations based on the top and heart notes of their favourite scents. The service can be accessed by scanning a QR code at Maison de Parfums. ✈
