UPTOWN ARRIVAL: It's Madison Avenue For Roland MouretUPDATED

Proving that there is plenty of life after brand-threatening disputes with backers, designer Roland Mouret will be opening his first U.S. store on Madison Avenue. The London based designer is reportedly taking over the Bang & Olufsen store at the corner of Madison and 75th Street (pictured above in a rendering). This will be Mouret's second freestanding shop after his lavish London flagship in Mayfair. Located in the closest analogue New York has to that posh neighborhood, the new 1,400 square foot boutique will be designed by Swedish architect Bozarth Fornell, and will carry all of the designer's lines including accessories, ready-to-wear and the bridal-themed "White" collection. Known for his architecturally cut collections and particularly for the figure-shaping "Galaxy" dress (pictured at right - click to enarge) that retails for up to $2,800 and continues to sell and sell, Mouret has impressively survived losing the rights to his name after a split with his backers in 2006. Relaunching under the initials RM the next year, he only re-acquired his own brand in 2010, but now the dispute is but a bump in the road.

“America was the first international market to support me, so it was important for me that it also be the site of my first store outside of the U.K. I wanted to create the world of Roland Mouret for amazing American women who want to discover my clothes [and] to build an atmosphere where she feels relaxed. This is a store but also a home away from home,”the designer tells WWD. The store is expected to open later this Summer just in time to launch the Fall 2014 collection Mouret is showing in Paris this week.

Roland Mouret Plots First New York Store (WWD)
Roland Mouret (Official Site)