Printemps HaussmannPARIS, Oct 1, 2009 / FW/ — Printemps, a pioneering retailer in Paris since 1865 which has been closed since 2006 for renovation has finally reopened its doors; and its second life as a department store, it innovates once again as it houses a Maria Luisa boutique.

To the Paris fashion set, Maria Luisa boutiques represent the triumph of David over Goliath in terms of fashion. To a city dominated by the biggest fashion names in the planet, an emerging designer finds it very hard for his or her voice to be heard, i.e. until Maria Luisa Poumaillou came along.

Opening the first Maria Luisa boutique in 1988, the hip stores curated like an art gallery became the international fashion set’s hub for discovering new names in fashion. Maria Luisa Poumaillou, proprietor of these boutiques (there are now several of them) have the knack of picking out a winner among the hundreds of new names that come through Paris in a given season.

And now, Maria Luisa is at Printemps Haussman, which reinforces Ms. Poumaillou’s influence as a tastemaker. Amidst the big fashion names housed at the historic Parisian store, Maria Luisa continues to be an oasis for young designers itching to make their names.

[MARGUERITE SEBASTIEN]