Parisian celeb favourite Destree will grace the new Printemps Doha bringing French savoir faire to the Qatari capital.

Founded in 2016 by designer Geraldine Guyot and Laetitia Lumbroso, who are joint CEOs, the brand is characterised by structured, almost architectural designs.

Destree first launched online and wholesale selling hats, later moving into bags – which provide arm candy for the likes of Beyoncé – jewellery and clothing. These days, there are points of sale across the globe, a flagship store in Paris and major expansion plans, including the Middle East.

This comes on the back of a round of funding earlier this year that saw the company, which at the time had just eight employees, gain investment from an all-female group of businesswomen including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Alba and Gisele Bundchen.

Co-founder Laetitia explained: “In the team the first salaries [staff] were women, it’s not because we don’t want men, we were looking for someone and it so happened that it was women.” However, when it came to securing future funding, she added: “Some men wanted to invest but we said no, we only wanted women.”

Destree’s instantly recognisable pieces weave a story of colourful passion interlaced with a distinct Parisian style that will grace the shelves of a shop-in-shop at Printemps Doha where visitors can expect elements of the flagship store in the French capital, such as jewellery displayed on sculptures.

Asked what prompted the brand to choose Printemps and the Qatari capital, Laetitia said: “Printemps has been a partner since the beginning of the brand in Paris, so we’ve worked with them on all our accessories. As soon as they mentioned that they were coming to Qatar, we wanted to be part of it. Qatar is a country where art is important, you have those amazing museums, you have the link between all that Shaikha Al-Mayassa is doing for art, for design and for fashion and for art in general. For Destree, as art is the heart of the brand, that was a link and a connection that was pretty immediate. So, Qatar and Printemps were both reasons for us to come here.”

Perhaps the house’s most recognisable pieces are the bags which are said to be at the heart of the collections ‘rooted in mineral and tangy tones, worn like jewels, objects of the heart’. And these will, of course, be part of the Qatar offering but there’s more excitement to come in-store.

Laetitia explained: “So, our iconic bags and jewellery will be presented in Printemps, we also have some exclusive products just for Qatar for Printemps which you won’t find anywhere else. We also are planning to do a ready-towear pop-up in February for the global launch, to have something very exclusive for Qatar for ready-to-wear.” ✤

GO: VISIT PRINTEMPS DOHA AT DOHA OASIS AND FOLLOW @DESTREE FOR UPDATES.

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Five Fast Facts

• Designer Geraldine Guyot studied at the prestigious Central Saint Martins College in London.
• Laetitia and Geraldine met through an internet job hosting site – it’s a bit like online dating but for business contacts and Geraldine advertised for a partner.
• The company name Destree comes from the street of the original office in Paris, Rue D’Estree.
• Geraldine was one of Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30 in 2020.
• Laetitia is a former Christian Dior couture executive.