While Aurelie van den Broek hails from the Paris suburb of Porte de Versailles, Florence Derozier grew up close by in the stunning port city of Marseille. Not having known each other whilst living in France, the two French quaintrelles both somehow ended up migrating to sunny-side Sarasota. Upon meeting through mutual friends, they became close friends themselves. Ahd after a vision-sparking trip to Geneva this past summer together, Aurelie and Florence decided to create a fashion “concept shop”—primarily digital and/or experiential, as opposed to a standard brick-and-mortar. Concept stores, the fashionistas say, are popular throughout Europe—known to offer elements to enhance their appeal to shoppers seeking a particular lifestyle. “Through both of our world travels and personal connections, we have some amazing contacts in the world of fashion and decided to make our dream become a reality,” they share. Soon after, the women used their industry connects to reach Laureen Haag, a Parisian digital art director and content creator/designer who specializes in beauty, luxury and fashion campaigns. Thus, MOI Concept Store was born. Launching in October 2019, the fashionistas have since curated multiple community pop-ups, local trunk shows and built a strong online presence through their website and Instagram. With fine-combed French taste, and an eye for the elegant, MOI Concept Store became an ever-changing offering of luxury brands from around the world—often with limited collections and exclusive pieces—by working closely with contemporary designers and artists to coordinate distribution. Each couture piece is carefully and personally selected to bring something unique and exquisite to the store and is likely not able to be found anywhere else in the US. 

The pair continue to travel the world for fashion and connection—including international trade shows like COTERIE in NYC and Who’s Next in Paris. In January, the posh pair traveled to Rome, just to meet with top costume jewelry house Alcozer & J to exclusively carry its custom, intricate and vintage-inspired designs. Aurelie and Florence are constantly in search of items for MOI that “elevate the everyday and bring joy through elegant design,” they say. “When we open each package that arrives at our office, we are always overwhelmed by the beauty and quality of our pieces that we have just purchased.” The latest package arrived from Brussels—100 percent twill silk Nastritos, an elegant ribbon to wear around your neck, in your hair, as a bracelet or on your purse. These Nastritos, along with scarves and pocket squares, were made exclusively for MOI by Roseline d’Oreye in Belgium. Auerlie and Florence have also sought out haute utility handbags from Le Snob in Paris, France; cuffs and jewelry from designers in Norwalk to the Netherlands; different apparel lines from places like Korea, San Diego, Vancouver and Brooklyn; and even handcrafted slip-on Oxfords from Blackstone Shoes right here in Venice. “We want our customers to feel privileged and we want to go the extra mile to make it happen.”