ABOUT THE PROJECT
Expanding Galeries Lafayette’s premium footprint in MENA and India
Imagination partnered with Galeries Lafayette and Aditya Birla to design India’s first luxury department store in Mumbai, and the brand’s largest international location in Riyadh. Appointed as lead designers, our strategy was to create a “Maison de Couture” that honours historic French retail heritage and integrates local architectural influences.
CHALLENGE
As Galeries Lafayette looked to expand its footprint into India and Saudi Arabia, they needed a tailored design. We had to develop the full architectural and interior design concept, from connecting buildings to realising the fashion, accessories, destinations and beauty offers across the store whilst retaining the Galeries Lafayette DNA.
OUR IMPACT
- st
- luxury department store in India
- 0k
- sq ft flagship store
- 00
- years of Parisian heritage united with local cultural traditions
- Two
- heritage colonial buildings transformed in South Mumbai
THE OUTCOME
An Indo-French love story in Mumbai
We worked within two heritage colonial buildings in South Mumbai’s Horniman Circle Garden area to merge the French Hôtel Particulier aesthetic with Indian palatial architecture. Creating a “Maison de Couture”, we designed every detail to reflect both cultures. Bespoke features included a lotus-motif parchinkari inlay and a Cupola inspired by l’Intrépide. The flagship opened in November 2025 and secured widespread press coverage from the BBC to Vogue and Architectural Digest India.
Where French and Arabian luxury meet
Building upon the success of the Mumbai project, the partnership expanded to the Middle East to develop a site in Riyadh. This is the largest international Galeries Lafayette to date. We designed the store’s facade, defined the architectural shell, and established the brand design principles. This approach tailored the luxury standard to the Saudi Arabian market.
The concept of the Maison Particulier as a typical Parisian luxury home and the elegance of the Indian palatial architecture and craftsmanship have been married in a design that references Art Deco style and floral design seen in both cultures. The narrative of the retail design extends the Maison de Couture and invites customers to browse the various rooms dedicated to a thematic design and reflecting the merchandise and style.
Ewald Damen Creative Director and Managing Partner at Virgile + Partners
VALUE
For the audience
Visitors are welcomed into a meticulously crafted, highly localised “Maison de Couture” that honours their local heritage while providing an emotionally resonant, world-class luxury shopping environment.
For the brand
Galeries Lafayette successfully launched the first luxury department store in India, securing worldwide press coverage, while also establishing a scalable architectural blueprint for its ongoing global expansion, including its largest international store in Riyadh.
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