The Italian womenswear label opens a new store in Les Marais as it accelerates its direct-to-consumer strategy in one of its strongest global markets
Forte_Forte has opened a second boutique in Paris, expanding its presence in France with a new location in the city’s Le Marais district. Located at 49 Rue de Saintonge, the 1,184-square-foot store builds on the brand’s existing Saint-Germain-des-Prés flagship, which opened in 2018, further strengthening its retail presence in one of its most important international markets.
The opening comes as Forte_Forte continues investing in direct retail while maintaining its longstanding wholesale business. According to Paolo Chiesa, who will officially become the company’s chief executive officer on September 1, France is the brand’s second-largest market alongside the United States, with each accounting for approximately 15 percent of total business after Italy.
“We found this space in the Marais that we really liked and is perfectly attuned to the brand’s ethos,” Chiesa told WWD. “We wanted to create this little gem with a very personal viewpoint to further connect with our local audience.”
Founded in Italy in 2002 by siblings Giada and Paolo Forte, Forte_Forte has built its identity around relaxed tailoring, fluid silhouettes, washed silks, and handcrafted details. The new boutique reflects that aesthetic through an interior conceived by Giada Forte and art director Robert Vattilana, combining preserved concrete floors with brass fixtures, curved mirrors, and soft pink tones that emphasize natural light flowing through the building’s five street-facing windows.
The Paris opening is part of a broader retail expansion underway across the brand. Earlier this year, Forte_Forte opened a new boutique in Los Angeles, introduced a pop-up in Taormina, expanded its presence at Seoul’s Shinsegae Gangnam department store, and launched a shop-in-shop at Bloomingdale’s in New York. This fall, the company will also unveil a special activation at Le Bon Marché featuring archival pieces reinterpreted by Giada Forte and local designers during Art Basel Paris.
Those openings support a wider shift in the company’s distribution strategy. While Forte_Forte is currently distributed through approximately 550 wholesale accounts worldwide—including retailers such as Le Bon Marché, Le Samaritaine, Harvey Nichols, Bloomingdale’s, El Corte Inglés, and SKP—Chiesa said the company aims to bring its business to an even split between direct-to-consumer and wholesale within the next 18 months. Today, retail accounts for roughly 40 percent of sales, while wholesale represents 60 percent.
Rather than reducing its wholesale network, the company plans to strengthen both channels simultaneously. Chiesa said wholesale will remain an important part of Forte_Forte’s business, particularly through specialty boutiques and independent retailers, while additional owned stores and concession spaces will allow the brand to develop closer relationships with customers and gather direct feedback across key markets.
The strategy also extends online. Forte_Forte has recently brought its e-commerce operations in-house and is preparing a redesign of its digital platform as it continues investing in channels that provide greater control over the customer experience.
The new Paris boutique ultimately represents more than another retail opening. It reflects how Forte_Forte is gradually rebalancing its distribution model, using flagship stores in key cities to complement its established wholesale network while creating more direct connections with customers in markets where the brand already has a strong following.
