LONDON — Gérard Darel, the French contemporary brand best known for its 24H bag, laid-back tailoring and rich leather pieces, is having a growth spurt with flagship openings planned on both sides of the Atlantic.
The privately owned, family-run brand founded in 1971 will open at 1003 Madison Avenue in Manhattan in mid-November, and follow it up with a store at 211 Regent Street in London in the first quarter of 2026.
The Madison Avenue store spans 1,690 square feet, and is the brand’s second in New York City. The first, on Spring Street in SoHo, opened in 2017.
It will showcase the new interior design by Jules Mesny-Deschamps, which began rolling out last year at Gérard Darel’s Paris stores on Rue Royale and Boulevard Beaumarchais.
A rendering of the Madison Avenue store, which is set to open in mid-November.
The soft-edged interiors feature curated furniture from the 1940s and 1950s, and distinctive vintage lighting, all meant to conjure the feel of a stylish Parisian apartment. Materials include wrought iron, travertine, wood and “ceppo di Gré” Italian stone, with its distinctive embedded pebbles.
Walls will be dotted with paintings, drawings and etchings that reflect the history and private collection of husband-and-wife founders Gérard and Danielle Darel. Madame Darel, as Danielle is known at the company, continues to work full-time as creative director.
David Maruani, the brand’s longtime chairman and CEO, said the planned openings “build on our continued success in France, and our growing international momentum.”
He said both the Madison Avenue and Regent Street flagships “serve as powerful windows to the world and are central to our international growth strategy.”
A rendering of Gérard Darel’s Madison Avenue store, which will open in mid-November.
There are more openings planned for 2026, at the Dubai Mall, KaDeWe in Berlin, and in Shanghai and Hangzhou, China.
Gérard Darel currently has around 250 directly operated boutiques and shops-in-shop in Europe, the U.S., Mexico and Hong Kong. In addition, it has 230 wholesale and franchise customers in more than 30 countries.
Turnover in 2025 was 157.5 million euros, and the brand is expecting to reach 170 million euros in 2026. The year-on-year average annual growth rate is around 10 percent, and the company is profitable.
Gérard Darel is part of a cluster of contemporary brands in Europe and the U.S. benefiting from the dizzying price hikes of the big luxury brands, which have alienated the aspirational consumer.
Camille Rowe in the fall 2025 Gérard Darel ad campaign.
As reported, groups including Burberry, Ralph Lauren and Tapestry and smaller European labels have been moving rapidly into the white space created by the big European luxury brands, offering lower prices and what they would argue as better value for money.
At Gérard Darel, the average price point for a leather bag is 350 pounds, while for ready-to-wear it’s 250 pounds. The ready-to-wear collection includes coats, tailoring and knitwear, shirts, dresses and custom prints.
Bestsellers include the 24H bag, which has become an “It” style among teenagers and young women in France. The Anna flared jeans, which have a ‘70s feel, are also popular.
Maruani believes Gérard Darel’s appeal lies in its well-crafted products “at honest prices.” He said that over the past year France has performed “exceptionally well, and international sales are accelerating, particularly in the U.K. and the U.S.”
Camille Rowe in looks from the fall 2025 ad campaign.
The brand’s success has been hard won. Like any European heritage brand, it has had its ups and downs.
In 2008, the founding Darel and Gerbi families sold out to the private equity firm Advent International, but it turned out to be a wrong move. They bought the struggling fashion firm out of receivership in 2015, and set about restoring it to health.
Over the years, the brand has amassed a celebrity following including Olivia Palermo, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Halle Berry, and has worked with Stephanie Seymour, Christy Turlington Burns and Robin Wright on past campaigns.
The French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg has served as a spokesperson for the brand. Camille Rowe, the French-American model and actress, stars in the latest fall campaign.
The Gerbi family also controls the trendy Paris retailer Merci, a rambling concept shop that opened in 2009 with a charitable mission.
