― AN EXCEPTIONAL HERITAGE TO CELEBRATE ―
Rediscover the history of Galeries Lafayette
1894
The all-new “Galeries Lafayette” store opens for business at number 1 rue Lafayette in Paris. This first store is a small, 70 square metre haberdashery, founded by two cousins from Alsace – Théophile Bader and Alphonse Kahn.
1912
The second round of major store extensions is entrusted to architect Ferdinand Chanut, who imagines an art nouveau masterpiece. The result includes not only the famous dome, but also the main staircase, grand central hall and elegant
balconies.
1919
Taking up the challenge issued by Galeries Lafayette, French aviator Jules Védrines lands on the rooftop of the Paris Haussmann store in a Caudron G.3 on January 19 1919. He receives 25,000 francs in prize money from the department store for his feat – and has to pay a 16 franc fine for flying over Paris without authorisation.
1975
Jean-Paul Belmondo climbs onto the roof of the Galeries Lafayette store in Henri Verneuil’s film Fear Over the City. It’s the first film in which the actor plays a police officer, and he does his own stunts. The rooftop chase required the reconstruction of 400 square meters of zinc roofing on top of the Galeries Lafayette store.
1976
The giant Christmas tree under the dome has enchanted visitors every year since 1976. Before that, Christmas trees had decorated the boulevard and façade. But in 1976, Galeries Lafayette pulled out all the stops, erecting a 23 meter high tree made with 400 square meters of aluminium inside the store’s central hall.
1981
The French Open goes from Roland Garros to Galeries Lafayette. Tennis legend Björn Borg plays a few shots on the store’s rooftop terrace during an event organised for children.
2001
Jean-Paul Goude directs his first Galeries Lafayette ad campaign featuring French model and actress Laetitia Casta. Known as “Laetitia Casta’s Adventures in Galeries Lafayette”, the campaign embodies the Galeries Lafayette spirit by blending humour and style to create a sense of playful sophistication.
2010
Galeries Lafayette organises the world’s biggest fashion show in front of the Paris Haussmann store, requiring the surrounding streets to be blocked off to traffic. With 800 people modelling their own looks on a 75 meter long catwalk, the event was so successful that it earned a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records.
🎬🎬🎬
Our most surprising stories in 8 episodes
About the artist
Galeries Lafayette called on Space Dawg to create these illustrations, which retrace the history of the department store over the decades. Space Dawg is a renowned 2D animation studio based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is headed by Michael Lim, a self-taught animator with a solid background in graphic design.
