At 98 Rue de l’Université, in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Roger Vivier opens Maison Vivier – an 18th-century hôtel particulier restored as the Maison’s new Parisian residence. Conceived as a cultural and creative home, the space brings together heritage, imagination, and contemporary design, housing the brand’s salons, studio, and archives under one roof. More than a headquarters, Maison Vivier is an invitation into the inner world of the Maison and the vision of Creative Director Gherardo Felloni.

“There was an immediate sense of dialogue,” Felloni says of first entering the building. “Between the light filtering down the grand staircase, the quiet presence of its architecture, and the imagination of what could unfold here.” What became clear almost instantly was that this would not simply be a place to work. “It could become a living narrative, a place where creativity, heritage, and emotion coexist.”

The hôtel particulier’s rare balance of intimacy and grandeur shaped that vision. Felloni saw the possibility for everything that defines the Maison to exist together – the studio, the salons, the archive, and the exchanges between disciplines that animate the brand. “What felt possible,” he reflects, “was a home where ideas could grow freely yet remain deeply rooted.”

Place, too, plays a defining role. Located in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, a neighbourhood historically shaped by literary salons, artists, editors, poets, and designers, Maison Vivier marks a return to a part of Paris intimately tied to the founder himself. Roger Vivier once lived nearby; the Left Bank formed part of his daily landscape. “Returning here is not just symbolic,” Felloni says. “It is almost biographical.”

The building’s cultural layers helped him imagine Maison Vivier as a space for exchange, imagination, and joie de vivre. “Parisian culture thrives on conversation,” he explains. “Between disciplines, eras, and personalities. Maison Vivier should represent exactly that – grace and wit, where craftsmanship becomes emotion, and where the legacy of one of Paris’s most visionary designers continues to inspire contemporary culture.”

Your studio, the archives, and the salons now exist together. How does this proximity to Roger Vivier’s original creations influence your creative process?

“Being so close to the archive changes the rhythm of creation. Some days I open a box and find something simple: a detail, a line, a shape that suddenly sparks a direction. It reminds me how ideas often begin quietly, almost casually, before they reveal their full meaning.

“This proximity also makes me feel the immediacy of Vivier’s own process. He worked with extraordinary spontaneity. If he noticed a small object – a thorn, a curve, a piece of metal – he could transform it instantly into the starting point for a new heel. That directness, that ability to turn an encounter into invention, is something I feel very strongly here.

“With the salons and the archive just steps from the studio, the dialogue becomes constant. Past and present respond to each other in real time. It encourages a way of designing that is more fluid and intuitive, but always anchored in precision, craft, and Parisian grace.”

Maison Vivier also opens a new chapter for how the Maison shares its heritage. Why was this important to you?

“One of the most meaningful aspects of this new chapter is the idea of giving back. For the first time, the archive can be visited by appointment by students, researchers, and young designers who want to study the pieces closely – the construction of a heel, the balance of a silhouette, the way a buckle changes the entire attitude of a shoe.

“Allowing access to these treasures means letting Vivier’s legacy continue to evolve through new hands, new eyes, and new interpretations. In this way, Maison Vivier is not only a sanctuary for heritage; it becomes a platform for transmission, where history actively fuels the future.”

The inauguration took place during Paris Fashion Week. How did you want guests to experience the space for the first time?

“I wanted guests to feel as though they were stepping inside the Maison’s inner world – a world where craftsmanship is intimate, where ideas move through rooms, and where history is tangible yet never heavy.

“The journey begins with the grand staircase, then flows into the salons, the garden, and finally the studio. It’s like entering the Maison’s creative anatomy. Even my office, with its soft pinks and greens, the Chinese Art Deco rug, the archive boxes, is part of that experience. It’s a place where collections begin as raw thoughts, colours, and intuitions.”

Spring Summer 2026 is entirely dedicated to the Belle Vivier. Why did this feel like the right moment?

“SS26 marks the 60th anniversary of the Belle Vivier, created in 1965 for Yves Saint Laurent’s Mondrian collection and immortalised by Catherine Deneuve in Belle de Jour. This model is not just a shoe; it is a cultural icon and a symbol of architectural flair and Parisian elegance.

“With the opening of Maison Vivier, it felt natural to dedicate a full collection to this emblem. We explored unexpected materials, new metal treatments for the buckles, and extensions into bags and accessories, celebrating continuity while opening new perspectives.”

Looking ahead, how do you hope Maison Vivier will influence the future of Parisian luxury?

“Maison Vivier is meant as a cultural gesture – an invitation to revisit what luxury means today. Not only exceptional craftsmanship, but a connection to memory, imagination, and dialogue.

“By opening the archive, creating salons for exhibitions and conversations, and giving space to interdisciplinary collaboration, we want to contribute something back to Paris. I hope Maison Vivier shows that luxury can be intimate, intellectual, joyful – rooted in heritage yet open to experimentation.”