If luxury could be defined by a single color, it would be yellow. For the House of Bijan it is the ultimate contemporary expression of sophistication.
Photo credit Ethan Pines & Peter Christiansen Valli
For over four decades House of Bijan, has been successfully creating the most exclusive and expensive menswear in the world. Wearable Art― as one would fittingly say, with its extensive collection of ultra-luxurious men’s apparel, crocodile travel accessories, diamond encrusted watches, and limited-edition car collaborations with Bugatti and Rolls Royce. Revered amongst millionaires, media moguls, presidents and royalty for its exclusivity, sophistication, and timeless elegance. House of Bijan has dressed renowned names like Tom Cruise, Ronald Reagan, Bill Gates, Oscar de la Renta, and Prince William of Whales amongst many.
Nicolas Bijan, the forward-thinking son of the late House of Bijan founder Bijan Pakzad, has set forth to carry on his father’s legacy bringing its luxury heritage to its new location inside the Wynn Las Vegas. The stunning new location mimics its flagship bright-yellow ‘appointment only’ boutique on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills with its grandiose 16-foot-high door at the entrance, striking chandelier made of Bijan perfume bottles, and bold colorful vignettes artfully displayed― evoking a sense of status. The Bijan and Wynn partnership owes much to Nicolas Bijan’s fresh thinking about growing the brand as it sets forth into a new era celebrating its legacy and opening its doors for the first time in forty years to the public.
In our exclusive interview, Nicolas Bijan shares with us the brands vision as he expands his reach to the tourist capital of the world. Here is what he had to say.
Q: How does it feel to carry on your father’s legacy?
It’s a big honor to be able to continue such a beautiful legacy and still work with same team that has been part of the Bijan brand for the last 30 years. We have such a beautiful brand that is a result of 43 years of hard work on behalf of so many people especially my father. All of us at the House of Bijan are working very hard to take something that was already excellent and make it even better.
Q: Your forward thinking is signaling a new era for the Bijan brand can you elaborate on that?
It is definitely a new era, but we are still very careful to remain true to the philosophies upon which the brand was founded on. We continue to innovate and grow, as all companies must do but we are also sure to respect what has allowed us to be so successful for the last four decades.
Q: Can you tell us about your exciting new expansion and partnership with Wynn Las Vegas?
The Wynn is of course the most beautiful property in Las Vegas without a doubt and they also have a lot of similar philosophies and principles with Bijan like colors, fresh flowers, and a sense of luxury. I think the only company in the world that has more fresh flowers than Bijan is probably The Wynn. It was a natural partnership that came about in a very beautiful way. Mr. Wynn wanted Bijan in the hotel for many years and when he approached us last year to open the boutique, we couldn’t say no. We are very honored to join their family and the boutique is a perfect fit for the hotel.
Q: Do you think your father would have envisioned bringing Bijan to Las Vegas at some point?
For a branding stand point it was very much a no brainier but more than that, Mr. Wynn was for many years speaking with my late father about coming to Las Vegas and the possibility of opening a boutique. I think my father wanted his name to be all over the world and would be overjoyed to know that we have opened a Bijan store in Las Vegas. Of course, he was happy with being in Beverly Hills and on Rodeo Drive but having said that, I’m sure he’s extremely happy to see the Bijan brand opening in new locations such as Las Vegas and hopefully in a few more cities in the next five years.
Q: What is one valuable lesson you have taken under your father’s apprenticeship?
My father always shared that it’s very important to never compromise the quality of our clothing and that is a statement that goes for both fashion and business. The quality of our merchandise is very important to our clients, they know what they are buying. That same concept goes for the business stand point at House of Bijan. I watched him work with a lot of passion and work very hard which left a lasting impression. My father, for the most part, was at a point in his life where he didn’t need to work so hard. He didn’t need to work every day, but he did it with such passion and dedication that it inspired me to follow in his footsteps. Seeing him work so hard was a great example for me and it is why I work hard today.
Q: What sets the Bijan at Wynn Las Vegas apart in comparison to its famous “appointment only” Beverly Hills flagship location?
For the first time in 40 years, we have a boutique that is not “by appointment”. At the boutique in Las Vegas you can walk in and interact with our merchandise, learn about Bijan, and do all of this without having an appointment.
Q: On that note, what are some familiarities clients get to experience at the new location?
The quality, exclusivity, and the attention to detail that we put into all our collections definitely remains the same. The Bijan store at the Wynn is just a smaller version of the Rodeo Drive location, even down to the front door, it is the same 16 ft tall mahogany door and it’s absolutely beautiful. We are working on installing a Bijan chandelier with 1,000 bottles of perfume just like the one we have on Rodeo Drive. The only thing missing is the Yellow Rolls Royce!
Q: What are some of your favorite pieces from the Bijan collection ideal for the summer?
We have a beautiful collection that was designed specifically for the Las Vegas Store. One of my favorite pieces are the colorful silk and linen jackets with beautiful perforated leather detailing. They are very colorful, half-lined, very high quality and of course beautiful for summer.
Q: Primarily, what attracted you to Las Vegas for new location?
We wanted to reach more of our client base in the cities they frequent, and we noticed many of our clients are visiting Las Vegas as much if not more than Beverly Hills. For example, a great deal of our client base from Asia are visiting us at Beverly Hills on their way back or on their way to Las Vegas. We thought that it was a natural place for us to open because of our similar client bases but also because geographically, Las Vegas is very close to Beverly Hills. As we expand the locations and the reach of the Bijan brand we want to make sure we do it in the best possible way. Being that Las Vegas is only a 45-minute plane ride away, we figured that we would be able to make sure that it’s operating to our high standards and level of service that we are famous for the last 40 years.
Q: Any interesting travel plans this summer?
I am actually on my way to Italy for the fashion shows in Milan and then after that I will be taking a vacation for a few weeks. I am looking forward to spending some time in Italy where we make all of Bijan’s beautiful pieces for the last 43 years but eager to get back to the new Las Vegas boutique!
For more information about the House of Bijan,
please visit www.bijan.com
Nicolas is poised to rock House Of Bijan! I am looking forward to watching him take the Bijan brand to new levels.