In Their Shoes; Colette, Paris.

I've been able to chat with some fascinating peeps around the world through my In Their Shoes interview series, and in this latest instalment I'm delighted to chat with Guillaume Salmon, head of PR for Paris fashion powerhouse Colette.

In terms of style, Colette is part of a select core of stores that have an immense influence on a global scale and having the chance to discuss this is a real honour.

As you might expect it's taken hard work to build Colette's name and stature, and I think you can get a sense of the focus and clear vision that goes into the store from Guilaume's short, succinct yet clear answers which I found quite revealing.

IDYSM: Hey Guillaume, tell us a bit about yourself.

Guillaume: hello, I am PR for colette since 2002, I am 36 years old and I am lover of Paris and..Brittany.

IDYSM: Colette is one of the world’s leading concept stores, what makes it so unique?

Guillaume: You should give me the answer, no? I think, to be more serious that after more than 16 years, we are still able to give you, week after week a view on what’s going at 360°: from fashion to street, from art to beauty, from hi-tech to design, etc.

IDYSM: How do you keep Colette at the forefront of contemporary style?

Guillaume: we are still curious and greedy about everything. We always think about the day after and never about the success of the past. We look forward, not behind.

IDYSM: Colette is renowned for offering the best of the best – what does it take for something to get the store’s seal of approval?

Guillaume: It’s probably the most easiest way of the world. If we like, we do, if we don’t, we don’t. Easy, no?

IDYSM: Colette’s presence in the sneaker game is highly regarded around the world, with a pretty incredible array of premium brands and styles.  Who is your average sneaker customer?

Guillaume: a entire generation grew up with sneakers, so we can say between 12 and 45 years old.

IDYSM: It’s said that merely being stocked in Colette can give a brand or style of shoe an instant credibility.  What shoes and trends have Colette helped pioneer?

Guillaume:  I think, by the past, that the All star and New Balance had a nice come back

IDYSM: Collabs are another story altogether – and a Colette shoe collab is something that always gets the sneaker heads excited.  You’re very selective about who you work with, what criteria do you look for when working on a collab?

Guillaume: If we like the project, the brand and the credibility. If it makes sense, or not..

IDYSM: Which collab shoe are you proudest of and why?

Guillaume: oh, so many, it’s difficult to choose, but for personal reason, probably our first collab with Timberland.

IDYSM: So where do you stand on how your customers treat their purchases, do you want shoes kept on ice to maintain their look, or to be well worn and well loved?

Guillaume: they are free to do what they want once they bought them, we have nothing to say.

IDYSM: What styles and trends are hot on the streets in Paris right now?

Guillaume: Paris was always and is still a nice mix of different trends: hip-hop, rock, hipster, classic, simple, fashion…

IDYSM: What does the rest of 2013 hold for Colette?

Guillaume: the venue of a great brand, Shinola, an art-Drive-Thru at Miami with The Alchemist during Art Basel, a collab with Pony and 1000 of others things that you can follow on our website and social media.

IDYSM: I always like to end my interviews with this question…what’s on your feet right now?

Guillaume: the collab that Norse Projects did with Vans and Kvadrat, at the beginning of September. The chukka ones…

Guillaume portrait courtesy of @jerome spleen

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