{"id":128488,"date":"2026-02-10T06:42:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T06:42:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/128488\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T06:42:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T06:42:27","slug":"french-luxury-brands-celebrate-franco-american-ties-in-nyc-exhibit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/128488\/","title":{"rendered":"French Luxury Brands Celebrate Franco-American Ties in NYC Exhibit"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tPARIS \u2014 Hoping to put U.S. trade<\/a> tariffs and diplomatic tensions behind them, French luxury brands will gather in New York City in May for an exhibition celebrating 250 years of French and American friendship.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe show organized by French luxury association Comit\u00e9 Colbert<\/a> will gather a record 65 of its members at The Shed at Hudson Yards, and is part of a yearlong program of cultural events. Participants range from luxury brands like Chanel and Dior to cultural institutions, including the Louvre Museum and the Palace of Versailles.<\/p>\n

\n\tScheduled to run from May 26 to 31, shortly after Frieze New York, the \u201cHidden Treasures, 250 Years of Franco-American Luxury Stories\u201d exhibition will showcase archival objects that reflect the artistic exchanges between the two nations.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOur houses owe a great deal to the United States. Every one of them has a chapter in its history that involves the U.S., and that\u2019s the story we want to tell. It\u2019s a tribute to America,\u201d said B\u00e9n\u00e9dicte Epinay, chief executive officer of Comit\u00e9 Colbert.<\/p>\n

\n\tStructured in five chapters, the exhibition is inspired by the history of transatlantic crossings. Each of the 65 houses and institutions will be represented by a shipping crate showcasing a significant item. For instance, Givenchy has selected a pink wool coat designed by founder Hubert de Givenchy for First Lady Jackie Kennedy in the 1960s.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe key aim of the exhibition is to invite visitors to rediscover this permanent creative dialogue between our two nations, which people sometimes don\u2019t know. At Comit\u00e9 Colbert, we\u2019re used to practicing what we call cultural diplomacy, and that is really at the heart of this initiative,\u201d Epinay said Monday at the Ritz Hotel in Paris.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn tandem with the announcement, Comit\u00e9 Colbert presented a study conducted with strategy and insights consultancy The Heart Monitors to gauge Americans\u2019 emotional attachment to France and Frenchness, even as French brands operating in the U.S. market struggle to deal with the impact of tariffs, distribution challenges and falling prices.<\/p>\n

\n\tRecent customs data shows French exports to the U.S. fell 13 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025, after President Donald Trump\u2019s 15 percent tariff on a broad range of European goods came into effect on Aug. 29. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tSales of French spirits to the U.S. plummeted 47 percent versus the same period a year earlier. Wine exports fell by 39 percent; perfumes and cosmetics by 25 percent, and leather goods by 15 percent, according to the data published by the External Trade Statistics and Analyses Division.<\/p>\n

\t\tThe French Connection\t<\/p>\n

\n\tEpinay noted that Comit\u00e9 Colbert\u2019s last major international event, in Shanghai in 2024, similarly coincided with China imposing tariffs on French cognac as part of a tit-for-tat trade<\/a> war with the European Union.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s precisely when economic or political relations are fraught \u2014 and this has been our experience in the 70 years of Comit\u00e9 Colbert<\/a>\u2019s existence \u2014 that it becomes especially important to talk about culture and beauty, and to focus on what brings us together rather than what divides us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\n\tShe added that anecdotal feedback from leading luxury houses suggests their sales to the U.S., the leading market for French luxury goods, have not declined by as much as official government figures indicate. \u201cMy impression is that the business climate is much better than what the customs figures suggest,\u201d Epinay said.<\/p>\n

\n\tSector leader LVMH Mo\u00ebt Hennessy Louis Vuitton reported that organic sales to the U.S. rose 1 percent in the fourth quarter, following a 3 percent increase in the third quarter. \u00a0Over the full year, sales to the U.S. were flat, even as overall group revenues declined<\/a> 1 percent in organic terms \u2014 making it the best-performing region overall.<\/p>\n

\n\tKering and Herm\u00e8s are due to publish fourth-quarter results this week.<\/p>\n

\n\tAmericans\u2019 feelings toward Brand France remain stable, and in some cases increasingly positive, despite geopolitical and economic tensions, according to The Heart Monitors. It surveyed 600 U.S. consumers aged 18 to 60 who purchased French products in the prior year, first in August and September 2025, then in January 2026.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFrenchness is needed. It\u2019s very alive. It\u2019s just not necessarily with the people we always thought,\u201d said Robin Lemberg, cofounder of The Heart Monitors.<\/p>\n

\n\tShe noted that 61 percent of respondents said French products still feel \u201cworth buying,\u201d even in the context of a 15 percent tariff.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut while their feelings about Frenchness may not be impacted, consumers are sensitive to price, with many reaching a breaking point. Hence, 45 percent of consumers said they would still purchase French products with a 10 percent price increase, but that figure dropped to 27 percent in the event of a 15 percent price hike.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe data points to a clear disconnect between emotional equity and commercial activation. Americans continue to feel positively toward Frenchness and French brands \u2014 even as purchase behavior and market performance lag,\u201d the study found.<\/p>\n

\t\tA Diplomatic Overture \t<\/p>\n

\n\tIt suggested that growth will come from activating new, high-potential audiences by emphasizing conviviality and making French brands feel more accessible.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhat the study shows \u2014 it\u2019s extraordinarily important \u2014 is that, first of all, France is not just for people who have money. It\u2019s also not for show, it\u2019s how I feel about myself \u2014 so what was very interesting to us is that the people who spent between $250 and $499 per year were the people who did not want to give it up,\u201d Lemberg said.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe report found the segments most immune to price increases were fragrance, skin care and wine, while the categories consumers were more prone to substitute were food, home goods and liquor. Jewelry and fashion sat in the middle.<\/p>\n

\n\tComit\u00e9 Colbert is clearly banking on local interest, with Epinay saying it aims to draw 20,000 visitors to the six-day exhibition. Tickets will go on sale in the coming months, priced $35, with free admission for students, and ads will appear on Fifth Avenue, thanks to a partnership with outdoor advertising giant JCDecaux.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn parallel, the Alliance Fran\u00e7aise will host a webinar for students, with speakers including H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Poulit-Duquesne, CEO of jeweler Boucheron and chairwoman of Comit\u00e9 Colbert; Olivier Gabet, director of the decorative arts department at the Louvre, and Hubert Barr\u00e8re, artistic director of Chanel-owned embroiderer Lesage.<\/p>\n

\n\tAn opening event in New York on May 26 will be followed by a reception on May 27 at the French ambassador\u2019s residence in Washington, D.C., where guests will include a cross-section of U.S. business, cultural and political figures, Epinay said.<\/p>\n

\n\tComit\u00e9 Colbert hopes to take the exhibition on tour, with potential destinations including Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and a city in Texas. It marks its biggest push in the U.S. since a 2018 trip aimed at wooing Silicon Valley entrepreneurs<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\n\tHowever, the event is unlikely to provide a backdrop for a diplomatic d\u00e9tente between Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, who have been at loggerheads over issues including trade and U.S. foreign policy. Epinay said Macron is expected to attend celebrations of the 250th anniversary of American Independence on July 4.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s a bit complicated to envision our exhibition being visited by Presidents Trump and Macron together, or by the first ladies together, especially since he is coming to the United States on July 4 \u2014 at least, that\u2019s the plan. You know that in geopolitics, what\u2019s true today may change completely the next,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PARIS \u2014 Hoping to put U.S. trade tariffs and diplomatic tensions behind them, French luxury brands will gather…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":128489,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[55425,9,24,55,54,56,10893],"class_list":{"0":"post-128488","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-city","8":"tag-comitu00e9-colbert","9":"tag-new-york","10":"tag-new-york-city","11":"tag-new-york-city-headlines","12":"tag-new-york-city-news","13":"tag-ny","14":"tag-trade"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128488"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128488\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}