Paris – The boutique challenges the traditionally dark and masculine nature of men’s retail spaces.
Boys Don’t Cry, located in the Saint Germain neighbourhood of Paris, is an interdisciplinary store that offers a selection of men’s fashion, design, books and art. The apparel collection, which includes brands such as Marni, Off-White and Yeezy, reflects founders Sophie Mechaly and Felix Boehm’s appreciation for ‘a masculine wardrobe that women love equally’.
Designed by architect Payam Askari, the store is built to easily evolve and house varying activations. The aesthetic diverges from the typical men’s retail space, which tends to revolve around dark colours and wooden features. Instead, Askari used pastel pink and metallic colours alongside soft details such as textured sheepskin chairs and a neon art installation that reads ‘pale blue eyes’, referencing The Velvet Underground.
Boys Don’t Cry demonstrates how retail spaces, alongside creative practitioners, can champion a new, softer version of masculinity that appeals to all.