Rue de Bretagne: The Art of Brocante

On the outskirts of Paris, in the Upper Marais district filled with medieval architecture, specialty eateries and eclectic boutiques, lies Rue De Bretagne, home to one of Paris’s largest Brocante markets. Held twice a year, this French brocante market is the cornerstone to the hustle-and-bustle of discovery. A mise-en-scène alongside a magical mecca of gardenalia, for bargain hunters to haggle for the finest antiques, bric à brac and vintage collectables, not to mention the most beautiful brocante that Paris has to offer. 

L’histoire: Le Brocante de la Rue de Bretagne

The history of brocante began around the time of Emperor Napoleon III, when imperial architect Georges-Eugène Haussmann radically reconstructed Paris from 1853 to 1870, demolishing the derelict alleys and slums to make way for broad boulevards and avenues lined with opulent stone-facade buildings. This then forced many second-hand goods dealers, otherwise known as ‘brocanteurs’, to flee their old dwellings.

Luckily, they found a new home selling their wares sans fuss in the northern fringes of Paris - in centuries-old Marais, where little cobbled lanes, medieval-looking mansion dwellings and churches remained untouched by Haussmannian architecture. There, they were able to trade just outside the former fort, in front of the gate Porte de Clignancourt, where they set up their stalls in 1860. The gathering together of all these brocanteurs from the ‘slums areas of Paris’? Was soon given over to the the overarching name "Marché aux puces", meaning "Flea market".

Ever since then, the idée of visiting Le Brocante de la Rue de Bretagne has become a delightful pastime for French locals and tourists; not to mention a coup d'état for the myriad of brocanteurs: including professional collectors and private sellers. For the art of brocante not only gives us a chance to revisit Paris’ medieval past; but gives us a rare insight into how valuable treasures from a bygone era can magically add a sense of héritage and old-world prestige: to one’s life and home.

Our Rue De Bretagne Collection

Inspired by the vibrant mecca of Antiquités Brocante and the vibrant spirit of Rue de Bretagne, our collection of the same name is a love letter to this landmark of liveliness, celebrating the art of discovery with a touch of savoir-faire. Lifting you up in glinting swirls of jaunes, forest green and azuré, to marry the beauté of nature with hues of fairy-tale antiquity. From standout abstract prints in a vibrant trio of hues, to moody silhouettes in wool-blend fabrics of inks and noirs – Rue De Bretagne is here to share the idée: that there is beauty to be found in the treasures of yesteryear.

Discover our vivid Rue de Bretagne collection, to add a touch of timelessness to your wardrobe. From floaty fabrics in versatile shades of noir; to soft silk dresses; to our painterly puffer jacket in abstract hues of forest green topped with a cashmere Bengajean®, our latest collection is here to carry you through winter: avec panache.