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    • Aug 6, 2020
    • 3 min read

Mezclando Culturas & Moda / Maison Kitsuné

Updated: Aug 4, 2021


¿Pueden creer que en este pequeño pasaje cubierto de apenas 17 mts de largo que data del año 1812 se encuentre uno de las boutiques más top de la moda contemporánea? El área histórica del "Palais Royal" (Palacio Real) - a pasos de Louvre - se ha transformado en un barrio cotizado para chefs y diseñadores de moda. Hoy caminando por esta cotizada zona nos topamos con una boutique de moda de la versátil marca Maison Kitsuné,


Hoy les queremos contar acerca de esta exitosa iniciativa de dos amigos: Guildas Loaëc (antiguo manager de Daft Punk) y Masaya Kuroki. Ambos, uno francés y otro japonés, son los creadores de la Maison Kitsuné hoy lideres en la moda streetwear/prêt-a-porter al tener tiendas en París, Tokio, Nueva York y 300 revendedores por todo el mundo.


Maison significa casa en francés y Kitsuné zorro en japonés, lo que nos revela el interés de mezclar ambas culturas en un un solo proyecto que inició como una disquera en el mismo local que hoy es la boutique que visitamos.

Su logo, el zorro o Kitsuné, es un animal que, se dice en historias míticas, puede cambiar su apariencia; cambia de color y pose para adaptarse a cada temporada. Este concepto a sido aprovechado a la perfección por la Maison Kitsuné para estar en constante cambio de acuerdo a los tiempos.

Así lanzaron su primera colección de moda en 2005 en el museo de arte moderno Palais de Tokyo, cerca de la Torre Eiffel. Desde el inicio se caracterizó por reflejar la multiculturalidad y su enfoque en la colaboración con diseñadores, artistas y músicos entre otros.


Un buen ejemplo es la colaboración con André, artista francés que se ha hecho famoso por crear posters de eventos musicales que nunca sucedieron y por su personaje de grafiti "Monsieur A." :



Cuando llegamos a la tienda de 52 rue de Richelieu, el amable vendedor nos recibió con una sonrisa antes de ponerse su máscara para atendernos durante estos tiempos de crisis sanitaria. Él fue quien, con su conocimiento y pasión por la marca, nos inspiró a escribir este artículo y compartir estos datos con ustedes.






Como ven, aquí el posa con algunos de los vinilos de la disquera Kitsuné (también a la venta en la boutique) y nos cuenta que esa sucursal es muy especial, ya que fue donde comenzó el sueño de la Maison Kitsuné: en sus inicios dedicada solo a la música.




Aquí pueden disfrutar de Café Kitsuné mix by Young Franco.


Este simpático vendedor nos recomendó visitar la sucursal más grande con su outlet subterráneo para acceder a precios de descuento. A continuación les dejamos las coordenadas para que tomen nota y lo recuerden para su próxima visita a París.


Como podrán ver la mayoría de sus productos muestran el zorro en diferentes colores y diseños, así como también la etiqueta indica la dirección de esta; su primera boutique


A unos pasos de la tienda en que nos encontramos se encuentra el Café Kitsune (dentro del bello e histórico Palais-Royal).


Su cocina franco-japonesa mezcla elementos típicamente nipones con los franceses de una forma muy original. Al ser bastante famoso es un lugar normalmente muy demandado y visitado, por lo que puede haber tiempo de espera para los fans y el servicio a veces un poco lento. Por eso lo recomendamos si dispones de tiempo y reales ganas de probar algo nuevo y exclusivo. Además los precios van en proporción a los de su linea de ropa, o sea: elevados, reflejando así el costo de estar a la moda internacional así como el nivel adquisitivo de su clientela.




Para aquellos que quieran llevarse una prenda especial o tener una experiencia "branché" (en francés "de ultima tendencia") durante su estadía en París les recomendamos dedicar un tiempo a esta tienda y por qué no a su café a tan solo un par de minutos a pié.

Para aquellos que tendrán que esperar antes de venir a visitarnos, pueden echarle un ojo a su catalogo AQUI y comprar sus productos en linea mientras tanto.


Esperando les haya gustado el concepto multi-cultural y multi-temático de la Maison Kitsuné nos despedimos y les decimos...

Hasta pronto!

À bientôt !

また近いうちにお会いしましょう!



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    • Jul 29, 2020
    • 2 min read

30 years to build Napoleon's Arc de Triomphe?!

The official decision to erect a triumphal arch to the glory of the Grand Armée was made official on February 18, 1806 by Napoleon I. The first stone of the monument was laid six months later. But why did it take thirty years for it to be inaugurated?



The design chosen was that of the architect Jean-François Chalgrin, whose plans were to be followed despite the times.


The length construction is not only due to the magnitude of the project. The economic difficulties caused by the Russian campaign of 1812 slowed down its construction and in addition the sudden death of Chalgrin on January 21, 1811 put in doubt the completion of the arch. After the fall of the Empire in 1815, the construction site remained closed for almost ten years!




Le roi des français Louis-Philippe

After the revolution of 1830, France entered a period of monarchical leadership but with a certain spirit representative of the French people. In 1832 Louis-Philippe, proclaimed King of the French (instead of King of France), decided to revive the project initiated by Napoleon in a spirit of reconciliation, in order to unite all French people. In this way, the King of the French, took up the Emperor's project again and extended his promise made after his victory at the battle of Austerlitz, "You will only return to your homes under the arches of triumph", proclaimed Napoleon I to his soldiers on December 2, 1805.





This is why King Louis-Philippe took it upon himself to carry out the successful negotiation of the return of Napoleon I's remains to the French capital. And at the celebration of his state funeral on the way to the Chapelle Royale des Invalides, the coffin of the military genius passed under the arch that he never saw in his lifetime. Celebrating Napoleon's victories in this way, and adding to his legend, served as great symbolism for the mandate of the new King of the French. Just like Napoleon used a lot of symbolism from the Roman Empires that is reflected in the arch itself.


The Arc de Triomphe, inaugurated on 29 July 1836, is 49 meters high and over 45 meters wide. On the inner surfaces of the Arch are engraved the names of the generals and the great battles of the Revolution and the Empire. Being in front of this structure makes us feel small like ants and understand how monumental the architectural work is.


For this reason we highly encourage you to get close to the Arch instead of observing it only from across the roundabout that surrounds it. Next time you visit, remember that the top of the arch offers one of the most spectacular views of the city and the good thing is that you can skip a big part of the line by getting your flexible digital tickets HERE.


Bonne visite!


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    • Jul 29, 2020
    • 3 min read

The glorious final resting place of the great emperor Napoleon Bonaparte

One of the most impactful buildings to be used in serving the memory of a man:

The Hôtel des Invalides

This monumental construction was commissioned way before Napoleon's birth; in 1670 by King Louis XIV in order to provide accommodation and hospital care for wounded soldiers. It served for the same purpose for centuries and it still does up to a certain extend.


In 1815, the last year of Napoleon in power, over 5,000 survivors of the Great Army were treated here as they recovered. The energy of the fallen soldiers is said to have been restored every time their commander-in-chief, Napoleon himself, visited the hospital in 1808, 1813 and 1815.




No hospital of the time of Louis XIV would be complete without a chapel, and this was not the exception. At the end of the 17th century architect Jules-Hardouin Mansart designed a building which combined a royal chapel (now Dôme des Invalides) with a veterans' chapel (now Cathedral of Saint-Louis des Invalides). The interior of the dome was painted with a Baroque illusion of space when seen from below. Inspired by St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the Dôme des Invalides is the triumph of French Baroque architecture and was Paris' tallest building until the Eiffel Tower was erected in 1889.


These glorious characteristics as well as the positive impact that the Emperor produced over his wounded soldiers during his visits were the main reasons that pushed King Louis-Philippe to choose this place to be the tomb for the Emperor’s mortal remains.



Napoleon’s remains were successfully returned to France in 1840 (19 years after his death). In his will, he had asked to be buried on the banks of the Seine, but since he passed away during his exile at the British island Saint Helena, the British governor in charge decided to have him buried in the same place. Nevertheless King Louis-Philippe negotiated the return of the former emperor successfully and it was celebrated with a grand state funeral and a sort of parade for the hearse, starting at the Arc de Triomphe going down the Champs-Élysées all the way to the Place de la Concorde and finally onto the Esplanade des Invalides. But it took a bit over 20 years before Napoleon’s tomb was finished!



The architect Ludovico Visconti designed a circular crypt, without a ceiling, so that it is possible to look in from ground-level so that without even realising the visitors offer a reverence to the emperor. Napoleon’s sarcophagus stands in the middle, on a granite pedestal. Inside it there are six more coffins of different kinds of wood and metal, almost like a Matryoshka doll!



Today, many visitors of Napoleon’s tomb reach a similar conclusion: it is a jaw-dropping experience, and really mind-boggling to see such a majestic place dedicated to one man. It makes the legend of the man seem, well, god-like. This type of resting place is reminiscent of the pharaohs, who viewed themselves as deities. Except the shapes and motifs are totally different as they are not unique.



The basis of baroque architecture is to display the omnipotence of God. When developed by the Catholic Church, this type of baroque with highly decorative and theatrical elements uses domes that are meant to emulate heaven.



Other masterworks of baroque architecture around the world as they are dedicated to God may be sublime, but the Royal Chapel of the Dôme des Invalides is incredibly dedicated “just” to a mortal. Napoleon is not buried there alone, he is accompanied by his brothers Joseph and Jerôme Bonapart, his son Napoleon II, and several military officers who served under his empire. Interestingly, some of the vaults there hold just the hearts of 9 generals, while the rest of their bodies are interred elsewhere. This is also reminiscent of Egyptian burial practices and of other cultures who place importance to the posthumous heart organ. In fact, although Napoleon II’s body is at Invalides, his heart remains in Vienna.


As you can imagine we highly encourage every traveler in Paris to visit this historical and magnificent place during their stay in the city of light.


If you decide to follow our recommendation please dedicate a bit more time to this visit as the tickets also include access to the adjacent museum of war and military history, which houses one of the largest collections of war artefacts in the world dating from medieval times!


Get your flexible tickets HERE and we wish you a wonderful and glorious visit!


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