Nicolas Bijan, 29, is hoping he can continue to follow in his father’s footsteps making experiential retail magic — with a self-aware wink.
Since 1976, the Bijan men’s wear boutique has been a fixture on Rodeo Drive, and its happy yellow facade with matching yellow exotic car parked out front one of Los Angeles’ most-loved tourist stops — even if the store itself was open “by appointment only” for the U.S. presidents, Saudi princes and Chinese billionaires who could afford the $12,000 suits and $950 ties inside.
“There wasn’t a parking spot out front, but the City of Beverly Hills was kind enough to let us build a new one,” he said during a tour of the 8,000-square-foot store , recently completed after a 2 1/2 year, $12.5 million investment. “Just in time for the crowds to start coming back to Rodeo Drive, there will be a yellow Rolls-Royce, or more likely a Bugatti.
Over the years, the Bijan aesthetic seemed trapped in amber like perfume in the store’s famed chandelier, which is made from 1,000 of the donut-shaped glass flacons. But when a new generation of wealthy Chinese discovered the brand in the mid-Aughts, the clothing, fine jewelry and accessories sales began to eclipse the fragrances.
“We want to be sensitive of what’s going on world, but there will always be an appetite for luxury. A lot of my clients when they come in here, they don’t need anything. They don’t need another jacket or tie, they are just having a good time. They like to feel good.”The House of Bijan store on Rodeo Drive. Michael Buckner/WWD
“We have to evolve and change with the times. If people want vicuna sweaters instead of a vicuna topcoat, we have to offer it. Now we have suede loafers with no back to use on your yacht, and baseball caps . We took a couple casual letterman-style jackets my father did at that time and remade them, and immediately they sold. We have been staying true to our timeless and classic clothing but also expanding into new product lines, younger product lines, things for more people.
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