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Established in 1893 by Théophile Bader and his cousin Alphonse Kahn at the corner of Lafayette and Chaussée d'Antin streets, Galeries Lafayette was initially a "novelty" shop selling frills and other small feminine articles. However, the central location of the store ensured a large clientele and expansion was inevitable. It now has a daily traffic of 80,000 visitors. The Art Nouveau building, designed in 1906 by award-winning architect Georges Chedanne, today houses foreign and French designers from Jean Paul Gaultier to Jil Sander and Vivienne Westwood to Valentino as well as the store's own labels: Briefing, Jodhpur, V.O. and Avant Première. These, together with shoes, leather goods, jewelry and lingerie, draw over a million foreign visitors annually. Galeries Lafayette's reputation for fashion excellence is not unfounded: they were the first to introduce Calvin Klein, Wonderbra, DKNY hosiery and Sonia Rykiel to France.
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Western Europe
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