Zadig & Voltaire

Zadig and Voltaire was founded in Paris in 1997 by Thierry Gillier, a fashion entrepreneur who came from a family background in retail and who built the brand on an aesthetic he called rock chic: the combination of the Parisian fashion sensibility with the visual language and attitude of rock and roll. The brand name combines the Voltaire character from the eponymous Voltaire story with a Zadig from the same author’s philosophical tale, which signals the literary and intellectual reference point that the brand places itself within even as the products reference rock music.

The Georgetown store at 1227 Wisconsin Avenue NW carries the full Zadig and Voltaire range for women and men, which the brand produces at the accessible luxury price point that the Parisian fashion export market established: above the contemporary brands in quality and design distinction, below the French luxury houses in price. Cashmere sweaters, leather jackets, and the printed T-shirts and flowing dresses that the brand’s Parisian rock aesthetic produces are the categories most associated with the brand’s design identity.

The rock chic aesthetic at Zadig and Voltaire is distinguished from the broader French fashion market by its reference points. Where much of the Parisian accessible luxury market draws from the heritage of French classicism, structured tailoring, and the conservative elegance that the French fashion tradition emphasizes, Zadig and Voltaire draws from the Parisian rock scene, the Rolling Stones-era English rock aesthetic, and the kind of casual glamour that rock musicians’ wardrobes have always carried. The result is clothing that is distinctively French in its construction and quality while carrying an edge that the classic French fashion aesthetic does not have.

The women’s range is the larger part of the store, covering the dresses, tops, knitwear, and leather that define the brand’s seasonal expression. The men’s range, though smaller, carries the knitwear and outerwear that makes the brand’s aesthetic work in the male wardrobe.

Hours run Monday through Saturday from 10am to 7pm and Sunday from 11am to 6pm. The star motif that appears throughout the Zadig and Voltaire product range, on the zippers, the hardware, and the graphic treatments of the T-shirts and sweatshirts, is the brand’s most consistent visual identifier across categories and seasons. The rock chic aesthetic requires consistent visual language to maintain its identity across the range from cashmere to leather, and the star has served as that language for the brand since early in its history. For the Georgetown woman who wants French fashion with more edge than the classically Parisian alternatives on the Wisconsin corridor, the Zadig and Voltaire boutique at 1227 Wisconsin is the relevant address. Hours run Monday through Saturday from 10am to 7pm and Sunday from 11am to 6pm. Online ordering at zadig-et-voltaire.com provides the full international collection.