PaperBoy Paris Talks Plans For Its New Division, PaperGirl
A new year naturally brings a fresh start, signals new trend predictions and the first sneaker drops of the months to come. With a spring in its step, 2024 has already begun delivering collaborations galore, including more from Wales Bonner x adidas, a link up from Coperni and Puma, as well as more Jacquemus x Nike J Force 1s on the way.
On that front, one of the most exciting collaborations to drop so far has been the latest from Paris-based outfit, PaperBoy Paris. While there's a seemingly endless array of footwear stores to visit while in Europe, there's a handful that rank among the upper echelon: and PaperBoy is right up there.
Arguably one of the coolest places to hang out when you happen to be in the City of Lights, the cafe meets sneaker store is a trendy hybrid where you'll come to buy the latest kicks, but stay for a coffee and a bite to eat.
In a nutshell, just about everything PaperBoy Paris does is drool-worthy.
Like any formidable sneaker store, PaperBoy have an extensive list of collaborations to their name, most notably with longtime brand partners New Balance. Together they have worked on everything from the New Balance 992 to the 1500. To kick off 2024, PaperBoy have delivered their biggest drop yet for their brand new women's dedicated offering – PaperGirl Paris.
The brand extension was first revealed in 2023, which saw the arrival of a collaboration with Clarks featuring a friends and family iteration of the Wallabee. Up until that point, all of PaperBoy's projects have been unisex. And with women's sneakers dominating the industry more than ever before, it seems PaperGirl's launch timing couldn't have been more perfect. But as PaperBoy co-founders James Dridi and Jeanne Gutierez tell us, they always strived to "Make something special for women." They added, "We wanted to develop the PaperBoy with a new catering and collaboration propositions so, it came very naturally that PaperGirl was born."
While there has been an ongoing push for unisex sneaker sizing as opposed to separate sizing for men and women, it's still so important for women to have their own dedicated spaces. So, when it came to designing the ASICS GT-2160, PaperBoy's founders said that they thought "first about women."
The Asics GT-2160 revival hit the scene hard in 2023, undoubtedly remaining one of the brand's premier silhouettes in 2024. So far we've seen a stack of collaborative takes featuring the model, with PaperGirl's polka dot dressed pairs – rounded out with baby pink laces – a very welcome touch to the GT-2160's modern chapter.
Talking about the distinct design of their collaborative GT-2160, Dridi and Gutierez said, "Like the sailor stripe defines the PaperBoy, the polka dot is defining the PaperGirl as a distinctive sign. You will find very often the polka dot on the designs of PaperGirl."
PaperGirl Paris' 2024 launch is an exciting entry into the year, and also reignites the ongoing relationship between PaperBoy, BEAMS and Needles. Of the process, PaperBoy's founders said it was simply "instinctive and organic."
To celebrate the collaboration – which includes coordinated sweats, tracksuits and socks – the brands came together to launch first in Harajuku, followed by a second round in Paris. Given the region-exclusive IRL launches so far, many are yet to get their hands on some PaperGirl goods.
What's next? You can expect more from PaperGirl starting in April, with a dedicated women's space potentially on the cards, too. "We are seriously thinking about it," Dridi and Gutierez said. "But first we are going to develop the catering, the collab and some pop-ups and in time we will open a space."
