Paris Saint-Germain opened their new and relocated Champs-Elysees club shop on Monday after moving from No. 27 on the French capital’s most famous avenue to No. 92 and an expansive 3,983 square foot commercial space over two floors — an upgrade reflecting the Ligue 1 giants’ growing global appeal.
“This opening on the most beautiful avenue in the world is an important marker of the club’s international appeal,” said the club’s brand director Fabien Allegre in an official press release. “This is an historic day for PSG, and a clear sign that the work put in over the last 10 years is paying off.”
Part of the grand opening is a collaboration with graffiti artist Crash, otherwise known as John Matos, and Tango Hotel who specialize in bringing wearable art to a wider audience with the American creator already well known in France after decades of work.
“My first PSG collaboration was accidental,” Crash told CBS Sports exclusively. “I happened to be in Paris and a friend of mine from Miami, Abstract, also happened to be there. He was doing something at the stadium and called to ask if I wanted to combine.
“At first, I said no, but I ended up giving him a hand. We were painting at the stadium and word got out that I was there through my French following. Someone came by for an interview and I kept pointing them to Abstract as it was his thing, but it just snowballed until now.”
Crash, who is into his 60s and built up a strong French following along with the likes of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, revealed that the inspiration behind this latest collaboration came while on his way to the beach in Hawaii.
“This is a fast-moving project,” he said. “I had already done something with Tango Hotel. We collaborated in 2020 and into 2021 and I happened to be in Hawaii that May, and we talked about doing another basketball thing.
“As I am walking to the beach, I saw these young…
Source : cbssports
