NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� At the pinnacle of the American cultural pyramid, one particular inspiration has echoed across the centuries through friendship and tension alike: France.
The American love affair with French luxury goods and their cultural cachet and craftsmanship has spanned the younger country’s history, and a new exhibit explores the story of how these treasures shaped a cultural exchange that marks 250 years of Franco-American relations.
Among the standouts in the exhibit鈥檚 cabinet of curiosities: the Givenchy coat worn by former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy; a Cartier lunar module replica from ; and a medal commissioned by Benjamin Franklin at the 鈥淗idden Treasures鈥� exhibit at The Shed in Manhattan.
The organizers behind the exhibit, Comit茅 Colbert, represent the top French luxury 鈥渕aisons,鈥� or houses 鈥� including fashion, perfume, jewelry, hospitality and spirits. They asked 65 luxury maisons and cultural institutions to excavate archives and unearth pieces that embodied the Franco-American bond.
The exhibit, which runs through the end of May, comes at a time when American consumers account for a major share in the demand for French luxury goods. Those luxury houses are taking notice 鈥� and expanding in the United States.
鈥淎merican people love French elegance 鈥� the 鈥榡e ne sais quoi鈥� of French luxury,鈥� said B茅n茅dicte 脡pinay, president and CEO of Comit茅 Colbert. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a deep link starting at the 18th century and still alive.鈥�
France was a 鈥榙ominant鈥� culture when the US was born
Just as Comit茅 Colbert is honoring France鈥檚 bond with the U.S., the U.S. is celebrating its own 250 milestone 鈥� its .
鈥淭he U.S. is a relatively young country,鈥� said James Burroughs, professor of commerce at the University of Virginia鈥檚 McIntire School of Commerce. 鈥淔or much of our existence, we were a relatively modest economy. We were overshadowed by dominant cultures like France.鈥�
The link between the two countries can be seen in perhaps the most renowned American symbol, the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France dedicated in 1886. But even before that 鈥� and even before French historian Alexis de Tocqueville famously wrote his epic work about U.S. democracy in the 1830s 鈥� Americans turned to France as arbiters of taste.
To commemorate France鈥檚 support during the Revolutionary War, one of America鈥檚 Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin, turned to French artists and the Paris mint to commission the Libertas Americana medal in 1782. Exhibit attendees can get an up-close look at the medal’s design. Each item on display was presented in shipping containers to symbolize the trans-Atlantic voyage between both countries.
In an effort to market French luxury goods to U.S. audiences, one French Champagne company鈥檚 unique approach is on display at the exhibition. An ad from Champagne giant Veuve Clicquot from 1964 shows how the company paired its Champagne with hamburgers to appeal to American audiences and to break away from the image of saving a glass of Champagne for special occasions.
鈥淟uxury,” Burroughs said, 鈥渋s always about status and signaling.鈥�
Fashion, unsurprisingly, has been front and center
Much like its role in the French luxury sector, fashion brought the star power to the exhibit.
Givenchy offered Kennedy Onassis鈥檚 pink, brushed-cashmere wool coat from her 1961 visit to France for the exhibit. Madonna鈥檚 revealing pinstriped Jean Paul Gaultier dress from his 1992 runway show to benefit AIDS research is also on display.
French luxury houses are catering to their American audiences by bringing their designs to the United States as well. The French fashion maisons from Dior, Louis Vuitton and have all staged their runway shows in the U.S. in recent months.
鈥淓uropean luxury goods companies are in the process of getting deeper into the USA,鈥� Luca Solca, luxury goods senior analyst at Bernstein, said in an email. 鈥淚n the past, only the two coasts and Las Vegas had luxury stores. American consumers are step by step warming up to European luxury. In a similar vein to what Chinese consumers did many years ago.鈥�
These brands are not only holding extravagant runway shows in the U.S. but are expanding their businesses across the U.S. Herm猫s opened a new location in Nashville last year.
鈥淲hat the French have done really well … in the last 15 years, is that they have opened up their range of products to create offers that are very relevant to the mass American consumer,鈥� said Thoma茂 Serdari, New York University marketing professor and director of the luxury and retail MBA.
French jewelry brand Boucheron featured a dramatic diamond Belle 脡poque style necklace at the exhibit replicated after the necklace the brand sold to Irish-American couple Marie-Louise Mackay and her husband, John William Mackay in 1899. The couple, who amassed their fortune through silver mines, commissioned 50 pieces from the house.
Looking to capture a new generation of collectors, the brand now has three U.S. stores under its umbrella since opening on Madison Avenue in 2024. H茅l猫ne Poulit-Duquesne, Boucheron’s CEO and incoming president of the Comit茅 Colbert, told The Associated Press that the brand has plans to open a fourth store in the United States before the end of the year.
After increased growth from spending during the pandemic, the luxury sector is now grappling with tariffs from the Trump administration and economic uncertainty. The European Commission agreed to a deal with on a 15% tariff on goods last year before the Supreme Court ruled against Trump鈥檚 call in February.
For the luxury houses, 脡pinay said, tariffs are in the past.
鈥淧olitics and economics, it鈥檚 up and down,” she said. “We鈥檙e here to celebrate this strong cultural link between us.鈥�
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