PARIS — French shoe brand Nodaleto has opened a pop-up in Paris to test the waters for a more permanent presence in the French capital, as it rebalances its retail strategy to lessen its reliance on wholesale accounts.
The temporary space, open until June 28, carries styles from its own collection and its recent collaboration with Brazilian footwear label Melissa, alongside a selection of summer-themed clothes and accessories developed in collaboration with some of founder Julia Toledano’s favorite brands.
The space will also serve exclusive beverages at a NodaCafé counter developed with Maurice Sfez Café, known for its Instagram-friendly hot and cold drinks served in can-shaped containers.
“It’s like a Nodaleto concept store,” Toledano told WWD. “We wanted to create a destination and a tailor-made space for Nodaleto.”
A Nodaleto shoe.
Courtesy of Nodaleto
Designed in collaboration with Necchi Architecture, the space on Rue Rouget de Lisle on the Right Bank — a stone’s throw from Rue Saint-Honoré — is drenched in rich brown tones, with accents of silver, white and the brand’s signature cherry red.
The decor reflects a more mature identity for the label launched in 2019. Best known for its signature chunky-heeled Bulla Babies shoe, it has evolved with Toledano, who is now 32 and a mother.
“I wanted something more feminine, more mature, more assertive,” she explained of the pop-up’s interior design. “It had to be sexy Space Age.”
A fan of the Maurice Sfez Café in the Marais district, which regularly draws long lines, she wanted to bring it to the 1st arrondissement. “Being a Nodaleto girl is a whole attitude. I picture her trying on shoes, grabbing a matcha and going to drink it in the Tuileries gardens,” Toledano said.
A cup from the NodaCafé by Maurice Sfez.
Courtesy of Nodaleto
Nodaleto has been without a stand-alone retail presence since the closure of its Miami store last summer.
“This was a way to reconnect with our Paris customer, which is our biggest online. This is also the city where we have the largest retail presence via our corners at Galeries Lafayette, Printemps and Le Bon Marché,” she said. “It’s a test to see whether Nodaleto should open a permanent flagship store in Paris. We’re going to take the temperature.”
To celebrate the event, she has created a sub-label, Noda, as the umbrella for collaborations with a curated selection of brands: Mysteryjoy for ethical jewelry; Seconde Vue for vintage and second-hand eyewear; La Galpa for form-fitting knitwear, and Dolla for resortwear including bikinis.
Toledano noted that the Miami boutique, opened in December 2022, suffered from not having any ancillary products to complement its shoes. She’s still mulling the launch of handbags, but for now, her focus is on rebalancing her retail portfolio in a bid to regalvanize the business, which saw sales flatten in 2024 after four years of rapid growth.
Julia Toledano
Courtesy of Nodaleto
“I focused too much on wholesale. We’ve been working with the team for a year not so much on a rebranding, but a relaunch,” she said, noting that as a result, the ratio of wholesale to retail has shifted from 80-20 to 50-50.
Toledano is running the brand solo, as Nodaleto cofounder Olivier Leone has shifted focus to his own creative agency, Pragma, though he remains involved as an adviser. Despite a global slowdown in luxury spending, she hopes the brand reset will soon bear fruit.
On the cards for next year is a second collaboration with Melissa, which should reflect the brand’s evolving aesthetic. The Paris pop-up could also give rise to more collaborations. “It’s a test. If we see that it’s working, I’d like to continue and highlight other brands,” Toledano said.
The Nodaleto pop-up store in Paris.
Courtesy of Nodaleto
