The 63-Year-Old Woman Whose Parisian Vintage Shop Is Beloved by Rappers and NBA Stars
Shahla Azhakh's store is called Son et Image, and she knows what’s cool before the fashion world does.
Of the three branches of Son et Image, you’re most likely to find co-owner Shahla Azhakh in the one situated on Boulevard de Sébastopol, the busy street dividing Paris’ second and third arrondissements. To her regulars, Azhakh is “tata”—the French equivalent of “auntie”—and these regulars include OKC Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, K-pop superstar Jackson Wang, producer Bob Sinclair, and A$AP Rocky. Behind the bumper sticker-covered counter, Azhakh displays a few photos of her and the rapper hugging, all smiles.
Nothing about Son et Image looks or feels like a sleek vintage boutique curated within an inch of its life. There’s an American flag hanging in the window and college pennants fastened to the walls. The dressing room is a small cubicle with a curtain in the back corner. Under fluorescent lights, store racks overflow with streetwear and sportswear—moto jackets, jerseys, letterman cardigans, every shade of denim in jean and jacket form, plus a mind-boggling T-shirt selection that includes merch for Throw Momma from the Train and a Soviet-made top with an upstanding socialist citizen screen-printed on it in blue.
Azhakh is equally unassuming. She’s all of five feet tall, incredibly warm, and rather partial to Harley-Davidson apparel. She collects and sells primarily American vintage, although the occasional Burberry coat or Italian leather jacket passes through. Regardless of where she gets her merchandise, the high fashion world is all about it. The soccer jersey she sold to a fashion consultant in later reappeared on the Off-White runway beneath a voluminous tulle and silk radzimir gown. And earlier this year, model Amelia Gray brought Vogue France’s camera crew through the door. L’Etiquette co-founder and fashion editor Marc Beaugé is also a vocal supporter.
Between Azhakh’s excellent taste and her stylish clientele, Son et Image is practically begging to be gatekept. Then again, the thrill of finding corduroy NFL hats from the ‘80s in the heart of the capital of couture is too good not to share. I chatted with Tata Shahla about Americans and American clothes in Paris, beating trends, and Zoomer style (or lack thereof).
Thrillist: How did you get into American vintage, especially being here in Paris?
Shahla Azhakh: I have many family members who live in the USA. I love the USA, of course. I discovered American vintage clothes and I fell in love. I love American culture, the music, the cinema—maybe the inspiration came from this. I decided to do just American vintage. And in America, some people do European vintage. I’ve seen in California that French work jackets are very popular.
When you started in the ‘90s, was this kind of American vintage and streetwear less popular?
Back in the ‘90s, the customer wanted vintage from the ‘50s and ‘60s—Elvis Presley style. Now it’s more hip-hop. They want to wear the same thing as A$AP Rocky or Travis Scott. It’s evolved with time. Right now it’s impossible to find ‘50s and ‘60s vintage. There’s no more. And even if you find it, it’s very, very expensive.
Where do you find your pieces?
Most of them are from your country [laughs]. But sometimes I go to Asia, like Thailand, or around Europe, like Italy and Germany. You must travel everywhere to find the best piece. I try to travel four, five, six times a year to find the goods. If I stay here, it won’t fall down from the sky. Two weeks ago, I was in California, and I went to flea markets and handpicked all the stuff. I don’t look for the normal piece. When I go to a flea market, I can see from a distance if I can find a good piece. Like this [snaps]. I look and I have a sensation. I feel in my heart—no, really!—palpitations. With experience, with time, you can feel it. You feel it’s this piece.
So Americans come to Paris to buy American vintage and then take it back to America.
A lot of the American stuff goes back home. [Laughs]. It travels, it visits Paris, and afterwards it goes home.
Do you ever try to source clothes that are on trend knowing it will sell better? Do you ever try to predict trends?
I don’t take just trendy clothes. I take it all. If it’s not popular today, it will be tomorrow. I learned with time that if I don’t buy today, tomorrow there won’t be any left. If I see a nice piece, I have to buy it. I can’t find it tomorrow. This is like money for me.
So you don’t forecast trends. You trust your own eye, and wait for the trends to catch up.
Yes. And vintage stores create fashion. We create the tendance. We don’t wait for the big brands. During fashion week they come in. I know when they come. When they look at a jacket, I can tell this guy works in fashion. Different eyes, different touch. It’s not the same as other customers. I have many customers who work for big brands who come here because they need ideas. They come here or to another vintage store and they buy stuff for inspiration. Or to just copy.
I also have many young people—not celebrities, but young people in music or art—who come in here and ask, ‘Tata, do you have something for me?’ You know, they don’t want to choose. I choose for them. And when they wear it, other young people come in and also say, “I want this.”
Do you feel like young people today don’t have much individual style?
Yeah. Maybe 5% do, but the others, no. They just copy whatever a celebrity wears, or they don’t have any opinion. They just follow without thinking. This winter fur was very popular because Playboy Carti wore it. After that everybody wanted this.
So you’re a vintage seller, but you’re also something of a stylist. What kind of things do you choose for someone?
It depends on the vibe of the person. Each person is particulier, special. I try to help each customer, not only celebrities. Even normal people, if they really want to change their style and they ask me to. It’s not just for money. It’s my passion.
What do you think the future holds for this kind of vintage streetwear?
It’s not so good because there are no more goods. I am 63 years old. I’ll work three or four more years. But for the young people that want to sell vintage, it will be very difficult. I think true vintage will be finished, and then there will be just secondhand brands around. It is sad, but it’s evolution.
This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.