And it's in this quiet neighborhood, built on the spot where meadows once surrounded a medieval abbey, that Marithé and François Girbaud chose to open their flagship boutique in July 2002.

Girbaud Store 7 rue du Cherche-Midi, Paris, France

Cities can be rather gray and dismal, especially in the late winter and early spring, but passing through the door of 7 rue du Cherche-Midi is to enter a world bursting with beauty.

The first thing you notice is a pungent smell, that whiff of oxygen similar to a greenhouse, the scent of growing organic matter.

Then the south wall appears, an enormous tapestry of plants that runs from basement to ceiling, vertically soaring four floors.

The hanging garden is the creation of Patric Blanc, botanist & researcher at the CNRS, and is constructed on a board made of PVC & non-biodegradable felt (fabric).

Girbaud Store 7 rue du Cherche-Midi, Paris, France

Plants are fed not from soil, but drop-by-drop from nutritive elements of a new age.

A true, artificial two-sided ecosystem was developed similar to that of a tropical rainforest.

Anthuriums, peace lilies, ferns and ivy are among the 250 varieties of plants whose roots are integrated into the fabric.

A steady trickle of nutrients falls from top to bottom where it collects in a shallow moat, just beside the men's wear division.

This new store presents both men's and women's products created with the most advanced technologies: fusion, laser cut, and usage of new energies (heat, sound and light) on clothes.

Marithé and François Girbaud are creating clothing without structure, born from comfort and the evolution of raw materials.

The husband and wife designer team's philosophy and commitment to organic elements is preserved and reinforced by the store concept.

They illustrate their "Humanature" philosophy by distilling the essence of peace and then infusing it into modern culture.

The vertical garden, like their street-smart fashion, is a sign of hope, a dream of a future where technology and nature coexist peacefully.

Girbaud Store 7 rue du Cherche-Midi, Paris, France

With the hanging garden as centerpiece, the store is modern with almost a futuristic feel to it.

Glass, aluminum and steel - by-products of man's technological skill, are mixed with wood an other natural materials.

Everything blends, nothing is out of place or jar your eyes. The space design is fluid. Areas are designated by angles and shapes. It is modern engineering defined by old-fashioned geometry.

The store is a beautiful concept executed in a beautiful manner!