Galeries Lafayette

Galeries Lafayette, originally Les Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, is a French chain of department stores with a total of 63 stores worldwide, with the store on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris' 9th arrondissement. Lafayette's history dates back to 1893, when Théophile Bader and Alphonse Kahn opened a small clothing store on the corner of rue La Fayette and Chaussée d'Antin. The store was expanded in 1896 to have 5 floors with a total of 96 departments, including a library and a tea room. The 33-meter-high dome in Byzantine-inspired style is the building's landmark. In the 1950s, two floors were added, and the first elevators were installed. Today, the department store in Paris has 10 floors and is the chain's flagship. There are branches in several French cities. The department store has been an important player in the French fashion industry and has, among other things, provided premises for young and promising fashion designers. It has, among other things, Daniel Hechter, Pierre Cardin, Cacharel and Yves Saint-Laurent have benefited. In 1998, a branch in Berlin, designed by Jean Nouvel, opened. References