Saint Laurent opens Babylone in the heart of Paris

A new cultural destination and bookstore dedicated to art, music and culture, as well as events, readings and DJ sets. Located at 9 Rue de Grenelle in the 7th Arrondissement of Paris, the new concept store’s name refers to the iconic Left Bank neighborhood of Sevres-Babylone.

In 1970, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé moved into a charming duplex located on the rue de Babylone in Paris, where they built up a varied art collection including works by Francisco Goya, Andy Warhol, and Piet Mondrian, combining different styles and periods.

This abode inspired the maison’s latest initiative in the French capital: a cozy bookstore offering a selection of rare titles and out-of-print records, carefully curated by art director Anthony Vaccarello.

Saint Laurent Babylone harks back to the recently opened Saint Laurent flagship on Avenue des Champs-Élysées, with imposing shelving, Donald Judd seating, and marble furnishings contributing to the gallery-like atmosphere within the building’s minimalist design.

Within this space, similar to Saint Laurent and Bergé’s duplex, are authentic treasures. You will find a selection of fine François Daubinet chocolates, a range of new titles published under the Saint Laurent Rive Droite Editions label, created in collaboration with the likes of Bruno Roels, Daido Moriyama, Jeanloup Sieff and Cai Guo-Qiang.

The rarest books will be displayed on an antique Pierre Jeanneret desk, equipped with white gloves to gently flip through the pages.

Among the most coveted pieces are Rose Finn-Kelcey’s black-and-white photographs from the 1970s and shots by Juergen Teller, who is scheduled to hold an in-store autograph session later this month.