News

Creative Recruitment in 2025: A Strategic … Pause?

4 March 2026 by Flora

The year 2025 has been particularly challenging for the creative recruitment market. Few positions are open, and when they are, processes tend to be long, uncertain, and often frozen midway. Decisions are delayed, approval layers multiply, and leadership teams hesitate.

In an unstable economic and geopolitical environment, hiring becomes an adjustment variable. Historically, creative functions design, image, communication are often among the first to be put on hold.

Yet recent history tells a different story.

Companies that continue to invest in creativity and design are often those that navigate turbulent periods most successfully. Groups such as Decathlon, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel have never viewed creativity as a cost, but as a strategic lever. The same dynamic can be observed among Chinese automotive manufacturers like BYD and NIO, which have invested heavily in design, user experience, and brand to accelerate their international expansion.

In times of uncertainty, their ability to innovate, assert a strong vision, and strengthen their desirability makes the difference.

Pausing creative recruitment may secure the short term. But in the medium term, it weakens a company’s ability to differentiate, reinvent itself, and capture attention.

Paradoxically, 2025 also offers a window of opportunity. Competition for top profiles is less intense. Talent including senior professionals is more open to discussions. Companies with a clear vision, a streamlined decision-making process, and the courage to move forward can recruit profiles they might not have been able to attract during more competitive periods.

As a firm specialized in creative roles, we see this every day: in complex phases, it is not the most cautious organizations that gain the advantage, but those that know how to invest at the right moment.

The market is slower. But it is not at a standstill.
And top talent does not wait indefinitely.

At Lemens & Partners, we have been supporting companies in the luxury, fashion, retail, and automotive sectors for over 20 years in identifying and recruiting their creative talent.

We know these profiles inside out. We build long-term, trust-based relationships with them, and we understand how to identify the individual who will truly make a difference within your organization.

If you are considering a hire now or in the coming months, we would be delighted to discuss it with you.

→ contact@lemensandpartners.com

Lemens & Partners – Recruitment firm based in Paris.
Creative recruitment in France and internationally.

How Are New Brands Integrating into the Parisian Market?

27 February 2026 by Flora

Founded at the end of 2024, Firn is one of those young brands that has moved quickly into the Parisian market. By the end of 2025, it had already opened two boutiques, in Le Marais and on Rue Montorgueil. Two high-footfall districts that are particularly sought after by emerging premium yet accessible brands.

Behind Firn bring a strategic partnership with Dr Fred Zülli, a pioneer in cosmetic research who has worked with major luxury houses. This choice is central to the brand’s strategy: to build on strong scientific legitimacy from the outset.

The range focuses on skin regeneration. The message is clear, direct and easy to understand. Firn reassures through science.

The brand offers effective products at accessible price points by reducing traditional marketing costs. Firn stands out through three key pillars: transparency, expertise and fair pricing.

The boutique, designed by architect and designer Rudy Guenaire, perfectly reflects the brand’s DNA.

The universe evokes the mountains, more precisely the Alps. The name “Firn” refers, in Old English, to compacted snow, a material formed from ice and snow in transformation. It is a direct metaphor for skin regeneration.

The space is neutral, with rounded edges and curved lines. The packaging follows the same logic, with soft shapes and clean visuals.

Firn integrates into the Parisian market through strong scientific consistency and an immersive yet minimalist retail environment. The brand positions itself between scientific luxury and contemporary accessibility.

Founded in 2025, L’Entropiste operates in a completely different segment: unisex luxury fragrance, made in France.

The name “Entropiste” refers to entropy, disorder and chaos. The boutique, located in Le Marais, embraces these codes, with dominant shades of red and black. The atmosphere blends glamour, tension and controlled disorder.

Within the retail space, paintings echo the fragrances. The boutique becomes an art gallery. Customers do not simply come to purchase a perfume; they come to experience it.

The window display attracts, challenges and intrigues. It invites passers-by to stop. In a neighbourhood saturated with brands, this ability to capture attention is strategic.

The fragrances are unpredictable, surprising and full of character.
L’Entropiste does not aim to please everyone. It aims to leave a mark through a strong artistic direction, a powerful philosophical narrative, retail conceived as a manifesto, and the novelty that sparks curiosity.

L’Entropiste embraces contrast and character, attracting a clientele seeking exclusivity, emotion and identity.

Firn and L’Entropiste illustrate two different ways of integrating into the Parisian market:

Firn relies on science and accessibility.
L’Entropiste focuses on art, chaos and luxury desirability.

In both cases, retail is central, conceived from the outset as a strategic tool for establishing the brand within the market.

Retail tours have become essential for tracking trends, innovating and drawing inspiration. Lemens & Partners analyses global retail movements through the lens of your strategic challenges, observing what works elsewhere to help shape the retail of tomorrow.

We design and lead bespoke retail tours with our international experts. The field is an endless source of ideas.

Get in touch to organise your next retail tour.

What Lemens & Partners took away from its latest Retail Tour in Madrid

17 February 2026 by Flora

Madrid once again proves its retail dynamism. Across a range of locations from heritage brands and luxury houses to emerging labels, Lemens & Partners observed powerful concepts where design actively supports brand positioning.

On: performance brought to life

The Swiss brand On, founded in the Alps in 2010, has opened its flagship store on one of Madrid’s main avenues.

The space is minimalist, dominated by grey tones and glossy materials. The product takes centre stage. The shoe wall is designed like a library, with each model presented according to three clear criteria: cushioning, stability and responsiveness.

The message is straightforward: performance is explicit. Retail becomes an educational tool that reinforces technical credibility.

Loewe: the store as a cultural home

Founded in 1846, Loewe embodies Spanish artisanal heritage.

At Casa Loewe in the Salamanca district, the boutique feels more like a gallery than a traditional shop. Artworks, natural Spanish materials and carefully staged products create an immersive experience.

Every design element reinforces the brand’s identity, luxury rooted in craftsmanship and art.

Fashion accessories are integrated into three-dimensional displays that showcase the handbags like sculptural pieces.

Loewe sells heritage, craftsmanship and artistic culture. At a time when luxury must differentiate itself, the brand strengthens its cultural capital. The store becomes a brand manifesto.

Adolfo Domínguez: retail as a tool for renewal

The Spanish brand Adolfo Domínguez, founded in 1950, has been evolving its retail concept since 2021.

Garments are suspended in space. Natural materials dominate. Local artists contribute to the scenography.

The store feels open and breathable, reflecting a return to essentials and a more contemporary repositioning.

Retail Tour Madrid El Corte Inglés Givenchy

Retail Tour Madrid El Corte Inglés Miu Miu

El Corte Inglés: strong brand identities within a department store

Often compared to Galeries Lafayette in France, El Corte Inglés brings together many international fashion houses. During our visit, several worlds coexisted — two of which Lemens & Partners highlights:

Givenchy: the runway spirit
Sculptural figures evoke the staging of a fashion show.
The corner becomes almost theatrical, allowing the brand to express its couture universe even within a department store.

Miu Miu: an intimate lounge
Here, the atmosphere is completely different. Carpeted floors, pale blue walls and four armchairs facing one another create the feeling of a private salon.
The mood is calm, almost domestic.
Even within a large retail environment, the brand succeeds in creating a distinctive and intimate universe.

Gimaguas: minimalism and light

Founded in Barcelona in 2018, Gimaguas embraces radical simplicity.

Its Madrid flagship is white, bright and almost futuristic. The glossy ceiling reflects the space, while textured flooring and metal structures reinforce the minimalist aesthetic.

The clothes stand out strongly against this neutral backdrop.
The décor steps back to let the silhouette take centre stage.

Gimaguas speaks to a generation drawn to imagery and visual purity. Minimalism creates an “Instagrammable” yet highly recognisable environment.

Byredo: a journey through materials

Byredo’s boutique tells a story through space.

A red horse immediately catches the eye, referencing Sweden, the brand’s country of origin. Wooden shelving evokes Canada, while aluminium fixtures recall Italy.

Each design element suggests travel, culture and inspiration. The store becomes a visual narrative. Retail transforms into a powerful storytelling tool.

Retail tours as a driver of inspiration

We design and lead bespoke retail tours with our international experts. The field is an endless source of ideas.

Get in touch to organise your next retail tour.

Valentine’s Day: A Platform for Retail Experience and Brand Strategy

11 February 2026 by Flora

As Valentine’s Day approaches, many brands are already activating their in-store communications. This period is becoming a powerful lever for customer experience, emotional connection and retail differentiation. In Madrid, several brands perfectly illustrate this shift through immersive window displays, emotional storytelling and interactive activations. Valentine’s Day is now positioning itself as a strategic moment within the commercial calendar.

One of the key elements widely used by brands is emotion.

Some brands, such as Havaianas, rely on video content displayed in their shop windows, telling the stories of different couples wearing their products. The objective is to create identification, immerse consumers in real-life moments and associate the brand with positive emotions.

This type of storytelling transforms a simple product into a symbol of connection, relationship and shared memories. In retail, emotion becomes a powerful driver of purchase.

Beyond visual merchandising, some brands no longer use their windows only to showcase products, they invite customers to interact.

Lonbali, for instance, installed red envelopes outside its storefront that passers-by can open to discover cards inside. A simple yet highly effective gesture, as it creates curiosity, encourages people to stop, take photos and share the experience, while generating a playful and engaging moment.

vitrine pretty ballerinas madrid saint valentin

Every year, this period also brings back the universal codes of Valentine’s Day, red hearts, love messages and warm visual atmospheres. These strategic elements anchor brands within a key commercial moment and trigger immediate emotional connection. When repeated along an entire street, they create a seasonal environment that naturally encourages impulse purchasing.

Lemens & Partners had the pleasure of returning to Paris Packaging Week and attending the talks hosted by Pentawards.

9 February 2026 by Flora

Led by key players from across industries, these conferences offered a privileged insight into how leading brands approach some of the most complex and demanding aspects of design. From strategic thinking to creative execution, the discussions highlighted the evolving challenges of packaging, innovation, and sustainability, while creating impactful design solutions.

A special shout-out to LEGO and its legacy for reminding us that we are all big little kids at heart, and a very special mention to Federico Casalegno for the powerful reminder that “technology without humanity is perfection without purpose.”

Vans Opens in Le Marais: More Than a Store, a Creative Community Space

29 January 2026 by Flora

At the end of November 2025, Vans opened a new store in Le Marais, at 14 rue du Temple. This famous Paris area is known for fashion and culture. With this new location, the California brand shows a new vision of retail: more about experience, community, and culture.

On Thursday, November 22, during Men’s Fashion Week, Vans organized a special event that caught a lot of attention. The brand hosted an exclusive giveaway and invited SZA, a major American artist (singer and songwriter), who has also been the artistic director of Vans since last summer. The event was a big success, both in the media and with the public, showing Vans’ strong ability to create excitement and engagement.

The store is almost 300 square meters and includes a large courtyard where events, meetings, and performances can take place. The design reflects Vans’ identity, inspired by skateparks, with raw materials and simple shapes.

The experience is enhanced by digital screens and lifestyle visuals that tell the brand’s story and highlight its cultural roots in skateboarding, music, and street culture. This is not just a store, you step into the Vans universe.

Beyond selling products, the store is designed as a real living space and a place for cultural expression. A rich program of events brings together creative communities, artists, and fans of the brand.

This is the only store in France offering the OTW by Vans collections, positioned at a higher-end level, as well as prestigious collaborations, such as the recent one with Valentino, released just two weeks ago.

The store is a community store, the second one in Europe after London. This choice clearly shows Vans’ ambition to make Paris a key city in its European strategy.

With this new store in Le Marais, Vans confirms a strong retail strategy: turning the store into a place to live, meet, and share culture, rather than just a place to shop. This approach matches today’s consumer expectations, focused on meaning, experience, and human connection.

Vans does not only sell products. The brand tells a story, builds a community, and strengthens its cultural presence in the heart of Paris.

Vans – 14 rue du Temple, Paris 4e
Monday to Saturday : 11am – 7.30 pm
Sunday : 12pm – 7pm