The Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighbourhood in Paris was once home to Roger Vivier, the man who changed up the footwear industry with his daring designs. This year, Roger Vivier the brand returned to the Left Bank with the opening of Maison Vivier. An 18th-century hôtel particulier with aristocratic roots, built by royal architect Jacques Gilet de la Fontaine, it is now the brand’s headquarters, housing its ateliers and archives, alongside sumptuously curated salons that tell the story of Roger Vivier.
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There is Le Salon de l’Héritage, which is curated by Ines de La Fressange. Inside is a time capsule that fleshes out Vivier’s design legacy. His creations from the ’50s to the ’90s and photographs of his glamorous muses—Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren—wearing his designs are displayed alongside Mies van der Rohe chairs, Xavier Feal shelving and Pierre Frey curtains. The Modernist lines of the furniture find an echo in some of Vivier’s most well-known styles, such as the comma-like Virgule heel and the sculptural Belle Vivier buckle.
Other salons juxtapose Regency-era furniture and antiques with more Modernist works, occasionally punctuated by something unexpected like a Picasso, or a Chinese cabinet from Hubert de Givenchy—a reflection of the founder’s sophisticated, eclectic tastes. Creative director Gherardo Felloni’s studio showcases a more eccentric version of this eclecticism—shades of bright pink and green framing design statements like a Chinese Art Nouveau rug, minimalist vintage chairs, and a sculptural work table.
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For the first time ever, the Maison is making its extensive archives open to the public. In addition to more than a thousand creations, there are also sketches, photographs and magazines that help paint a fuller picture of Vivier’s process and accomplishments. Highlights include a 1962 prototype for Princess Soraya of Iran, documents on the coronation shoes for Queen Elizabeth II, and the fruits of his game-changing partnerships with Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent. There is a Dior sandal from 1955, and of course, the Belle Vivier pump—originally designed for Saint Laurent’s iconic Mondrian collection, and immortalised on film by Catherine Deneuve in the subversive Belle de Jour.
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The Belle Vivier turns 60 this year and to celebrate, the brand is releasing the Belle Vivier 60 collection, which spans pumps, slingbacks and ballet flats, as well as bags, accessories and gilets. Felloni has juxtaposed the angular, streamlined form of the shoe—best encapsulated by its distinctive square buckle—with rich, unexpected materials and techniques borrowed from haute couture. Felloni has always loved a jewelled moment, and here, he has embroidered satin with clusters of strass and beads to create a radial pattern, or with layers and layers of sequins to evoke a garden in full bloom. Another pair brings to mind a garden at midnight, with black jet, beads and sequins hand-stitched onto black lace. Six decades on, the brand is still finding dazzling new ways to make the Belle Vivier the star of the show.