Beloved by musicians, basketball players, and overall fashion enthusiasts, Son et Image is a premier shopping destination for vintage clothing. While high-profile visitors include professional basketball player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, fashion tastemaker Bloody Osiris, and more, photos of co-owner Shahla Azhakh with rapper A$AP Rocky go all the back to 2018.
Several of the in-store snapshots show Azhakh and the “Fashion Killa” rapper sharing hugs and smiles. Son et Image’s Instagram page also proudly posts pictures of Rocky in vintage tees and jackets pulled from the Parisian shop.
Azhakh mostly fills the racks with “handpicked, true vintage” from the U.S. although she also sources pieces throughout Europe and Asia.
Iconic vintage streetwear fills the store, making it abundantly decked out with American characters, sports leagues, fashion brands, musicians, and overall nostalgia. While it’s reported that European designer pieces are sprinkled within the fashion hotspot’s racks, it’s clear Azhakh’s love of American vintage reigns supreme.
In a recent interview with Thrillist, the co-owner discussed the ironic balance of Americans shopping American vintage in Paris. Often referred to as “tata” — aka “auntie” when translated to English from French — the vintage buyer said, “A lot of the American stuff goes back home. [Laughs]. It travels, it visits Paris, and afterward, it goes home.”
“… I discovered American vintage clothes and I fell in love. I love American culture, the music, the cinema — maybe the inspiration came from this,” she added of sourcing pieces from the U.S.
Where In Paris Is Son et Image?
Son et Image doesn’t only have a location at 77 Boulevard de Sébastopol — although Thrillist claims that’s where you’ll most likely run into Azhakh. The vintage store has two other retail spaces in Paris: 85 Rue Saint-Denis and 10 Rue des Prêcheurs.
