Belle Épine is a large regional shopping center in Thiais, in the southern suburbs of Paris, opened in 1971 and operated by Klépierre.[1] Its visual identity has evolved through at least two distinct logo generations, reflecting the center’s major renovation and repositioning in 2015.
Design and History
The center was inaugurated in September 1971 and expanded in 1993.[2] The original logo, sometimes labeled “Ancien logo Belle Épine” in archival files, was used for decades and is documented on Wikimedia Commons as a historical mark of the center.[3] A newer logo file, titled “Logo Belle Épine.svg,” was uploaded to the French Wikipedia in May 2020, sourced from the center’s official Facebook page, indicating a more recent iteration of the mark.[4]
In April 2015, after 18 months of construction, Klépierre unveiled a fully renovated Belle Épine, described at the time as a “new Belle Épine” with new facades, new interior design, and new communication.[5] The center’s official Klépierre page lists 2015 as the date of its “last renovation.”[1] The renovation was accompanied by a new advertising campaign created by the agency Sid Lee, built around the concept “la mode est jeu” (fashion is play).[5]
In July 2019, the logo of Belle Épine gained brief national attention when French telecom operator Free used it as a visual riddle on Twitter to announce the opening of its 70th Free Center store inside the mall.[6]
Meaning and Symbolism
The name “Belle Épine” refers to a local place-name in Thiais.[7] The center’s early slogan, used at its 1971 inauguration, was “Belle Épine, le Centre dont vous êtes l’invité” (Belle Épine, the center where you are the guest).[8]
Typography and Design
The claim that the logo was designed by Théodore Stamatakis in 1968 could not be verified through available research. Stamatakis, who founded the Paris design studio Création Stama in 1965, is documented as a designer of corporate symbols and trademarks, but no source connects him specifically to Belle Épine.[9]
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