Maison Ullens names new artistic director; opens in London for four months

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Dec 2, 2014

Maison Ullens has big plans for the end of this year. Founded in 2010 by Belgian baroness Myriam Ullens, the high-end ready-to-wear womenswear brand has named Danish designer Kim Laursen its new artistic director. 

Laursen succeeds talented Belgian Veronique Leroy, who occupied the position for two years. He will present his first collection for fall/winter 2015-16 during Paris’ ready-to-wear week in February.

After studying in Denmark, the designer moved to Paris, where he started in 1991 at Christian Lacroix. He worked for the famous fashion designer for 15 years before becoming a consultant for other brands, such as Kenzo and Cacharel, and more recently for Elie Saab, Paule Ka and the Brazilian footwear brand Ghetz. 

Maison Ullens is also getting ready to launch a pop-up store in London on Monday, December 8. Located at 206 Walton Street, in the upscale South Kensington neighborhood, the store will remain open until the end of March.

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It will include the brand’s ready-to-wear range, concentrated on three components: travelwear, chic sportswear and urban fashion, featuring knitwear collections made in Italy and high quality Made in France leather. Accessories, meanwhile, are overseen by the Parisienne Peggy Huynh Kinh, who is also at the head of her own bag and jewelry brand.

A year after opening its first store in chic American ski resort Aspen and a second store in Paris, at 4 rue de Marignan (eighth arrondissement), "it now seems clear for Maison Ullens that it’s time to take on London, to develop brand recognition in the region, another undisputed capital of fashion and luxury," the brand said in a statement. 

Maison Ullens is maintaining its unique character. Its founder, Myriam Ullens, a billionaire, haute couture enthusiast and contemporary art collector, is indeed continuing her commitment to people with cancer via her fashion house, with a portion of it profits donated to the Mimi Foundation, which she founded in order to help cancer patients maintain their dignity in order to better fight the disease.