Mind Magazine from ALU Bandage Interior by Bandage Interiør

18-23

Kuntzel+Deygas 

TV commercials, title sequences, ad campaigns, lamps, the adventures of ‘their’ Cap & Pep: whatever the project, this French duo keeps pushing the boundaries.

Interview

Christophe Lemaire

Retail

L’Eclaireur Bill Tornade

Art

Kuntzel+Deygas

46-53

Alustrations

Paris Mon Amour The Pleasure of Leisure Get the Look Going Dutch

Christophe Lemaire 

Departments

‘Style interests me more than fashion’ Fashion designer Christophe Lemaire, creative director of both the Hermès women’s prêt-à-porter collection and his signature label.

Out There Luca Goes Shopping Talking Design Régis Clavelly Meanwhile, in a City far Away The Classic Serge Lutens Get Lost in ... Paris ALU Shop Free Your Mind In the Air How To Use Slider Ask the Expert Hélène Lafourcade Contacts

cover Kunztel+Deygas: Illustration representing the characters Caperino & Peperone.

72-77

78-85



Get Lost . . . Paris

Free Your Mind

Designer and local resident Philippe Di Méo shows us this bustling neighbourhood’s most fascinating spots.

Three youngsters, litres of paint and ALU systems as a blank canvas.

Mind #06 / contents

46 32 40 18 12 24 54 66 9 30 38 60 64 72 78 87 90 96 98

Contributors

Editorial

Publishing

Who Victor Duran What Photographer Habitat Amsterdam Did Did the photos of the Dutch ALU showroom, page 66

Concept Frame Publishers, Amsterdam framemag.com

Printed in Italy

Who Bruno Fournier What Photographer Habitat Paris Did the photos for Get Lost . . . in Paris, page 72 Work appeared in Neo 2, A Magazine, Vs Magazine Who Shonquis Moreno What Editor / Writer Habitat New York City Did the retail story on Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Eclaireur, page 32 and Ask the Expert, page 96 Work appeared in Frame, Surface, T, Gestalten

Editor Alexandra Onderwater alex-on.com Design Marco Ugolini Production Marlous van Rossum-Willems Translation and copy editing InOtherWords (Donna de Vries-Hermansader)

Who Anna Samson What Writer Habitat Paris Did Get Lost . . . in Paris, page 72 and the retail story on Bill Tornade, page 40 Work appeared in Frame w

who Chris Scott what Writer/ Graphic designer habitat Paris did The Classic, page 64 work appeared in Frame, Print, Blueprint Who Charlotte Vaudrey What Writer Habitat Le Marche (IT) Did The Pleasure of Leisure, page 24 and Get The Look, page 54 Work appeared in Frame, Footprint, In Design

Mainetti S.p.A. Via Casarette nr. 58 36070 Castelgomberto (VI) Vicenza, Italy T_: +(39) 0445 428511 F_: +(39) 0445 428627 E_: info@italy.mainetti.com

who Sofia Fernandez-StenstrĂśm what Photographer habitat Bassano del Grappa, Stockholm, Madrid did Luca Goes Shopping, page 30 work appeared in Interni, Sportswearinternational, www.caporea.it, www.sofiaf.com

Mind #06 / colophon

MiND is published three times per year by ALU For free subscriptions visit alumindmagazine.com ALU Headquarters Via del Commercio, 22 36060 Romano d'Ezzelino (VI) Italy T: +39 0424 516 816 E: aluitaly@alu.com W: www.alu.com

Out There

Words

Alexandra Onderwater

Silent Disco  Relaxing amidst the greenery of Amsterdam’s Westerpark on a lovely summer’s day, surrounded by blossoms and butterflies, Dutch designer Conny Groenewegen must have envisioned a spectacle unhindered by walls, roofs or concrete floors. When Amsterdam International Fashion Week (AIFW) rolled around last July, Groenewegen showed her collection in the open air. This was not a catwalk accompanied by blaring music, however: seated on clingfilm-wrapped crates, representatives of the press and other invited guests viewed the show wearing headsets, as did the models, who were dressed in fashions inspired by the metamorphosis that turns a caterpillar into a butterfly. Before parading in metallic bodysuits and garments with butterfly sleeves and loosely crocheted details, the models stood, unmoving, swathed like cocoons in the same type of plastic film. As the models gradually shed their skins, Groenewegen’s creations were revealed. www.connygroenewegen.nl

VISSA S.R.L. Viale dell’Industria 122/A 36015 SCHIO (VI) T. +39.0445.576690 info@vissa.it www.vissa.it 9

Mind #06

Take It? Tape It!  Obviously, today’s top perfumes are far more than ‘a great bouquet’. And it’s not just the design of the bottle that gives your favourite fragrance an edge. The latest generation of scents soars to the stars on more than cool bottles and classy packaging. In 2010, perfumes have lead roles in films, like the one the Brothers Quay made to convey the mystical message of Comme des Garçons’ Wonderwood, a scent described as ‘an evocation of exuberance’ and ‘a positive overdose of woods, woody notes and synthetic wood constructions’. The film may not win an Academy Award, but what a fabtastic description of a new-age essence. www.doverstreetmarket.com

Rockin’ in Red  It’s the subject of annual speculation: who’s ‘doing’ the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion this year? Following a list of illustrious names – including Olafur Eliasson, SANAA, Zaha Hadid (twice), Frank Gehry and Oscar Niemeyer – it was up to the equally illustrious French architect Jean Nouvel to create a temporary eyecatching accommodation for the tenth edition of Park Nights, a public programme that features events and talks. Nouvel’s cherry-red duet of lightweight materials and cantilevered metal structures makes a striking contrast to the surrounding greenery, while also referring to London’s iconic telephone and post boxes, not to mention the city’s red buses, without which we cannot picture life in this bustling metropolis. Reflected in the design is a touch of French fantasy that comes, perhaps, from table-tennis tables on the lawn outside the pavilion. Paddle in hand, for a brief moment we are transported to la douce France. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Oct 17 (admission to the pavilion is free)

photos

courtesy of Serpentine Gallery

The Art of Aroma

Flying Saucers

 You may have just returned from your holiday spree, but next time you take off for places unknown, here’s a handy hint: a great travel companion is the very official-sounding ‘Leather Suitcase No 03 M’ by Palmer & Sons. Sturdy and roomy, this handsome bag has a traditional design that you either love or hate. Those who love it are sure to appreciate the caption on the Canadian manufacturer’s website: ‘In just 1 cubic foot of empty space a man can pack all that he needs to get the job done, and still bring back a gift for his angel.’ For the real man: there is an online shop.

 ‘A new experience of creativity with a conscience’ or how to spray your way into heaven. Every year Six Scents pairs six celebrated perfumers with six artists in an attempt to raise awareness – and a bit of moolah – for a good cause. Series One featured fragrances created in collaboration with Bernhard Willhelm (‘close to the elements of water and air’ his contribution expressed the ‘back to nature’ side of Bernhard) and Gareth Pugh, who opted for ‘a struggle between lightness and darkness’ with ingredients like dill, black pepper, nutmeg, white amber and musk. The artist has a say not only in the choice of scent but also in the design of bottle and packaging. The focus of Series Two is the relationship between artists and nature, a theme that is explored by means of photographs, films, stories, art and, of course, fragrances.

www.palmerandsons.ca

www.six-scents.com

 Nymphenburg, the ‘king of porcelain’, knows as no other how to link tradition and superior craftsmanship with contemporary talent and, in so doing, to produce one surprise after another. For its most recent collaboration with a living artist, the prestigious German porcelain manufacturer chose Carsten Höller (1961), whose Flying City Tableware honours the wondrous project of the same name created by Russian constructivist architect and artist Georgy Krutikov (1899-1958). The collection expresses Höller’s out-of-the-box thinking – in a world led by conventions upon which we base our behaviour, is it possible to imagine things in a fundamentally different way? – disguised as serving plates, dinner plates, side plates, cups and saucers fit for royalty, or even for your mother-in-law’s next visit. One spinning plate from the Flying City series begs to be mounted on the wall.

www.serpentinegallery.org

Just in Case

www.nymphenburg.com

Mind #06

Mind #06 / out there

The Paris Issue

words and images

It started with a French love song and ended with all of us humming along. 12

Mind #06 / The paris Issue

Autopole and Loop make an ideal marriage for window displays, enhancing product presentation without being invasive. Whether the items on display are cosmetics, fashions, accessories â&#x20AC;&#x201C; you name it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this appealing duo knows no bounds. All types of products are welcome.

Mind #06 / The paris Issue

Ooh là là, Paris! City of light, city of dreams, city of love. A bustling metropolis, a grande dame, a place of passion, heroic appeal and irresistible charm, inviting you to dance with her on warm summer evenings and beckoning you indoors on chilly winter afternoons to feel the heat of burlesque entertainment in unparalleled Parisian style. This issue of MiND pays tribute to Paris and its outspoken inhabitants, a combination that has been radiating beauty, refinement and elegance for centuries. We guide you through a flavourful palette of French diversity introduced by a petit déjeuner with Bill Tornade; continuing with an avant-garde boutique, L' Eclaireur; pausing against the backdrop of Centre Pompidou to talk to the brand-new creative director of Hermès, Christophe Lemaire; and ending with a visit to Kuntzel+Deygas, visual storytellers par excellence, at a cosy office in a northern neighbourhood of the vibrant metropolis.

Mind #06 / The paris Issue

It is precisely the blend of glamour and sensuous elegance found in Paris – a priceless urban gem steeped in history – that appealed to Autopole, ALU’s most enduring design. Inspired by the Parisian atmosphere, Autopole has taken on a French twist, reinventing itself with the help of its latest accessory, Loop. Paris and Autopole meet in an imaginary world, a burgundy mise en scène in which a fading blood-red horizon and a sparkling ambience create the perfect setting for our slender diva, the lovely Autopole. 

Loop is available in three sizes: 40, 60 and 90 cm (16, 24 and 36 inches). Used for signage or for the display of hanging or folded products, Loop is at your service. Communicate and display with the same setup, simply by rotating Loop.

Mind #06 / The paris Issue

Art

Meeting Florence Kuntzel and Olivier Deygas in their charming Parisian studio (a king-size living room filled with chesterfield furniture, knick-knacks, works of art, sketches, mock-ups, figurines, a gramophone, LPs, candles, et cetera) is like stepping into a life-size version of their cartoon-like work. The artistic duo, whose shared career spans almost 20 years, claimed their way to international fame with a trailer for Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can and the lovably amusing Caperino & Peperone – Cap & Pep for those in the know – a pair of perky pets born at Colette in 2004. Kuntzel, Deygas and I talk about a lamp that’s half cat, and they thoroughly convince me that nothing beats the drawing table. Words Alexandra Onderwater Photos courtesy of Add a Dog

Florence Kuntzel and Olivier Deygas amidst several of their MiCha lamps.

Mind #06 / Art

 [MiND] Nice place! [Kuntzel] It used to be a glass factory. You can still see the stains on the concrete floor, reminders of its former glory. In the basement we have a team of freelancers working – about 20 of them at the moment – and all our digital facilities.  What are you working on now? [K] We have two major projects going at present. One is a series of TV commercials for American Express, which we’re doing together with Ogilvy London. With the exception of the USA, it’s a worldwide campaign. Very graphic and simple, it appeals to a variety of cultures. It features a black background and merging graphic designs that tell a story. Our other big project is a lamp we just launched, called MiCha.

 Like a good relationship. [K] [Laughs] Indeed. Olivier drew the beast and I drew the beauty. They share an essence of violet that makes their scents harmonize with each other. Actually, we’re working on a new project for Diptyque right now.  What makes the brand appeal to you? [K] We love its simplicity. Diptyque is mainly about black and white, and so are we. There are many levels on which we connect.

 Does that happen a lot? [K] It’s very rare. Working with luxury brands is not easy. The process takes a long time. Relationships can be fragile. Every case is different. But we like working with luxury labels for these very reasons. It’s similar to the art world. Big brands have a personal story to  Do you always work with an ad agency? tell, and all their output needs to be in line with that [K] No. At times we just create something that we feel story. is necessary. But the collaboration with Ogilvy London [Deygas] There’s also the French aspect. France is a very natural, fluent process with no waste – which relies heavily on the history of the poster. Long ago, we appreciate. Normally, there’s so much waste all marketing for the luxury business was done by one in the ad world: of time, of energy, of ideas . . . poster designer: concept, paintings, logo, advertising. French brands still maintain the somewhat old Isn’t your own company, Add a Dog, a creative fashioned idea of having an artist connected to a agency? campaign. We find it interesting, of course, as it allows [K] Add a Dog is a production house. It’s a tool us to work directly with a brand. dedicated exclusively to our projects – similar to a studio owned by the musicians who record there.  How much do you do by hand? [K] Every project begins with a hand-drawn sketch,  Do all your projects come through an ad agency? after which we sometimes work with the computer. [K] For TV commercials, yes. It’s a very specialized Or organize a photo shoot. We draw directly on the world. In the case of many other projects, though, computer, but we also mix hand-drawn sketches with we deal directly with the client. Brands like Veuve digital work. There’s always a bit of us in the result. Clicquot and Diptyque. An artisanal touch. We want everything we do to be an expression of our personal vocabulary. ‘Imperfections are interesting’ [D] Imperfections are interesting; they add life to Olivier Deygas a drawing. When we work by hand something happens that wouldn’t occur if we were to stick strictly to the computer. >>>  Their candles are mesmerizing . . . [K] I know. We loved them so much we spontaneously created a pair of candles for the brand.  Without being asked? [K] For several years we’ve been trying to blur the boundaries between commissions and jobs that we initiate ourselves. Currently, our work consists of about half of each. Our idea was to make a pair of candles instead of the single models that Diptyque had done previously. So we showed them the beauty and the beast, our signature characters. They loved the idea immediately. You can only buy the two together. We were also involved in the creation of the scents, which work best if you put the candles in adjacent rooms; opening a window usually makes the two fragrances blend.

View of the Kunztel+Deygas studio featuring a Caperino & Peperone rug in the foreground.

Mind #06 / Art

Recent work by Kunztel+Deygas includes audio sculptures. Pictured here is a model that emerged from experiments with a ‘mini skull’ speaker.

[K] Using real tools means fighting with reality; the pen is sharp, but not as sharp as you want it to be. With the computer, you visualize what you want to obtain and you achieve a virtual result. Working manually, you can be more intuitive. Where the charm comes from remains a mystery.

‘Today’s artist has to explore more than one creative field’ Florence Kuntzel

 You’re from the pre-nerd period – right? [D] Before the rise of computer graphics, we were making films with puppets built from wood and metal. It worked quite well. Today, though, you’re able to change every detail of the animation process – timing, lighting, everything. Using old-school tools, we shot a scene and were done. Finished. No modification possible. From an artistic point of view, it might be interesting to do it like that again, but I’m not sure whether people are ready to deal with results that can’t be altered.  Florence, when you started working together in the ’90s, Olivier was a pioneer of digital imaging, and you were an expert in hand-drawn, Disney-style animation. [K] Digital creation – using the computer to make pictures – was just emerging then. [D] I created title sequences for rock bands, moving images with effects. The computer was slow, expensive and difficult to use. [K] He was at the forefront of technology, and I was an old-fashioned girl. Classical violin meets electric guitar, so to speak. [D] Today I don’t use a computer at all. [K] And I love that machine! [D] But I’m very messy. I need a computer for keeping records and organizing images.

Various prototypes of the MiCha lamp.

reality, not lag behind. Today’s artist has to explore more than one creative field. Visiting the business and contract side of design can be enriching. We might be wrong and we might fail, but we have to try.  How is MiCha made? [K] In seven French workshops close to Paris, MiCha goes through 20 operations – moving back and forth between ateliers as the work progresses. It includes metal cutting, folding and painting. The head is crafted separately; the moustache is made of springs . . .  Bespoke spiral. [K] Indeed. It took years to develop. It’s a luxury product.  And the name? [D] MiCha refers to the French words for half a cat. And the lamps look like cats.  Everything you make is so cute. All your designs have a rather cartoon-like quality. [K] [Laughs] Ultimately, though, it’s human hands that make them tick. 

 And now you have a new baby, MiCha. [D] Yep, we created a company entirely for the lamp. [K] As artists, we’ve never had full control of everything before, including the manufacturing process and commercial decisions like where the lamp will be sold. We even opened an e-boutique.  Why do everything yourself? [K] To bring the idea to life and to ensure the quality of a product that bears our name. [D] You can have a company for which you develop characters, or you can have a character for which you create a company.  Wow. [K] Why are you surprised? Sometimes it’s better for an artist to work alone. To be independent. To precede 22

Mind #06 / Art

Still of a trailer the artists created for the movie Catch Me If You Can.

spa Fixed securely between floor and ceiling, Autopole adds a lean look to a spa environment. Carefully selected accessories complete the upscale sales point.

words Charlotte Vaudrey photos alu

The right display fittings can refresh the most unexpected of locations. ALUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Autopole system revitalizes leisure environments, such as spas. Its slim, slender lines fit right in, adding a new dimension by transforming a service area into a point of purchase. Autopole is also an original solution for a bar, where it is the perfect tool for stimulating sales. 24

Mind #06 / ALUSTRATION 1

Thanks to: BLUE Wellness & Relax Via CĂ Rezzonico 54 36061 Bassano del Grappa W: www.bluecenter.it

Mind #06 / ALUSTRATION 1

bar Autopoleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sleek profile mirrors the tall stools and tables found in a bar. Add shelving to create an elegant, upright wine presentation.

Thanks to: B.A.R. Vicolo degli Zudei 9/11 36061 Bassano del Grappa T: +39 0424 529388

Mind #06 / ALUSTRATION 1

Thanks to: 22.12 Via Vittorelli 36 36061 Bassano del Grappa W: www.ventiduedodici.blogspot.com

apparel Autopole can be dressed up or down with shelving and hanging accessories to bring hot items from a new collection to the shopperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention.

footwear Showcasing select pairs of shoes on a perfectly proportioned shelf encourages shoppers to step up and take a closer look.

Thanks to: SEARS Via Matteotti 3 36061 Bassano del Grappa T: +39 0424 524977

Unpack ALUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Autopole in a retail environment and marvel at the freedom of expression it brings. Whether you use the display system to feature an iconic product or to merchandise the latest highlight in your collection, every time you reinvent the space, Autopole adds a certain je ne sais quoi to the result.

Mind #06 / ALUSTRATION 1

Luca Goes Shopping

@ EUROSHOP

2011

Düsseldorf

from 26.2 to 2.3.2011 Hall 11 - Booth E30

ALU STAND EUROSHOP 2008

Words Luca Pavani / creative director ALU photo Sofia Fernandez-Stenström

I’ve never much liked the vintage look . . . I’ve tried. Lots of times. I just can’t bring myself to buy vintage items. I’ve seen all the beautiful stores, but buying somebody else’s story just doesn’t work for me. I don’t mind stepping inside and looking around. I can appreciate the beauty, and I think a vintage store has something that other stores don’t have: it can become a merchandiser’s unique strategy, thanks to a décor based primarily on old, one-of-a-kind furniture. Looking at the latest collections, I see that everyone is including pieces from the glorious past, 30

without even taking the trouble to revise such designs. I’m referring to those who’ve been in business for 20 years and are now digging out the things they weren’t able to sell back then – as well as to people who return to the past as a way of showing that we’re even further behind now. I’m over 40; many of the clothes hanging in my closet are half that old – call it ‘vintage’ if you like. Will my favourite store this year be my personal ‘vintage’ closet?

Mind #06 / Luca Goes Shopping

ALU spa - Via del Commercio 22 - 36060 Romano d’Ezzelino (VI)- Italy Tel: 0039 0424 516816 - Fax : 0039 0424 36550 - e-mail: aluitaly@alu.com - www.alu.com

Retail

Words Shonquis Moreno Photos dave bruel

Belgian Studio Arne Quinze (SAQ) gave the high-brow, courageous French boutique Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Eclaireur in Le Marais a brave new face with crudely collaged structures, maze-like shelving, hammered-together slats and randomly embedded video screens.

Mind #06 / Retail

Close-up of the cabinet-like structure – an assemblage of slats, LCD screens and car paint – that snakes through a Parisian boutique created by Studio Arne Quinze.

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The space is an organic labyrinth; six films displayed on 147 flat screens stir the imagination.

‘This is not a store; this is a story’

Part fashion designer’s atelier, part graffitied city lot, part gallery and part plush fitting room, Paris’s sixth L’Eclaireur shop was sewn together from swatches of material by Belgian Studio Arne Quinze. The interior features an appliqué-like smattering of LCD screens displaying abstracted imagery and is embroidered with the highly textural patchwork plank-art that has become artist Arne Quinze’s signature. Though Quinze contributed only a sculpture, a (restrained, for him) accretion of cascading bent-ply slats, and a loop of video, his fingerprint, gracefully refined by his design team, is conspicuous throughout. L’éclaireur often translates as ‘boy scout’ and connotes, in the highest lowbrow manner, the ‘pathfinder’, the ‘avant-garde’ and even ‘enlightenment’. The brand is the creature of Armand Hadida and wife Martine, who opened their first retail space in 1980 in the basement of a Champs Élysées gallery, selling – the first to do so in France – labels like Prada, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten and Martin Margiela. Since then, the couple has continued to combine found objects, art, architecture and fashion.

Hadida, none too fond of the word ‘shopping’, has certainly been a pioneer of the tightly edited concept shop. By now, however, this type of retail space – dedicated to high-touch service, exclusivity, a forward-looking aesthetic and the generation of an immersive and lush sense of luxury – is not particularly innovative. Hadida’s own shops did it early on, after all. But the design succeeds amply in its manufacture of a rarefied atmosphere in which the customer is considered the ‘host’, in command of a lingering experience expected to last, whether a purchase is made or not, 30 minutes to an hour instead of mimicking the typical ten-minute dash-through. Part of the rarity consists, perversely, of the Belgian design studio’s crudely collaged structures and wilfully rough finishes. Here the surfaces of uneven, textural and interleaved panels, maze-like shelving and hammered-together slats are painted a single unifying colour and framed cleanly with a manicured concrete floor and a heavy black drop ceiling. Light, lightness and accents assert a strong presence, however, in the shifting tattoo of 147 randomly embedded video screens and clothes >>>

Naziha Mestaoui, visual artist

Mind #06 / Retail

‘The concept was a dressing room, not a boutique’ Roel Dehoorne, SAQ designer

posing within a few well-lit niches. ‘Not everything has to be shown,’ points out SAQ designer Roel Dehoorne. A single room conceals the bulk of the stock behind automatic doors that open, like garage doors, only upon command. When the customer enters the store, she is received immediately by a salesperson, who helps her to ‘discover’ the displayed portion of the collection, which serves as a tasting menu. When the customer indicates her tastes, the salesperson can dip into any of six cabinets of curiosities, each dedicated to a single designer. ‘The concept was a dressing room,’ Delhoorne explains, ‘not a boutique.’ But this is also a space inflected with artistry (with which the garments can’t help but be infected). Though technology and conspicuous signs of (literal) construction hem the interior, these feel on a par with the expressions that they support: ‘It’s not art over architecture or architecture over art,’ Delhoorne emphasizes. ‘It’s just a healthy mix of the two.’ On show is a video that Quinze shot of the mudsmeared eyes of his wife, along with clips by local video-art students. Also playing in a hidden room at the heart of the store are the serial digital instalments 36

of Roombook by Parisians Naziha Mestaoui and Yacine Aït Kaci of Electric Shadow. The first chapter, entitled ‘Echo & Narcissus’, projected real-time state-ofthe-world statistics into a basin on the floor. The second chapter, ‘Superfluidity’, installed in May, is an audiovisual environment that allows visitors to change a projected image while producing a sound with each alteration, all of which is played out simultaneously online, notionally connecting virtual and physical spaces. ‘Retail has become a place for experience,’ says Mestaoui, who suggests that, on entering a store, a shopper does not suddenly become only a customer but continues to maintain her complexity, her interest in many subjects, including the arts. ‘Retail has to consider people not only from the perspective of branding but also as players in a dialogue with the universe the shop creates. As I said to Armand at the opening, this is not a store; this is a story. As I understand it, the meaning of the name, L’Eclaireur, reflects my view: the store doesn’t sell just objects; it sells illumination.’ 

Mind #06 / Retail

The ‘ordered chaos’ of the 450-m2 interior is a choreography of constantly changing sightlines, lively video images and walls of recycled components arranged to form multi-layered collages.

Mind #06 / Retail

Talking Design

Words

anna samson

s y i l g l é R lave C  What I dislike the most is . . . The loss of memory. How a brand like Yves Saint Laurent, which is not directed by a single person, has employees who sometimes bring out products that have nothing to do with the style of the brand. What’s important for the continued success of a brand is artistic direction from someone who’s really invested in the project, whether it’s in Paris or worldwide – someone who says, ‘We can do this, not that. Not a circle, but a square. That’s beautiful, but it’s not us.’

 How can a bricks-and-mortar shop keep up with its virtual competitors? Unlike the situation on the internet, you can’t have a physical store without a real live salesperson and the accompanying service afforded by the human element. Americans are very strong in this area. In the United States, even the security guard says hello.

 Favourite shopping experience? It’s interesting to see that the shopping experience differs according to the country involved and to recognize that the French notion of ‘beauty’ is strictly French. Brands that are very strong in fragrances and make-up enter Asia through the beauty-care market, whereas in Europe the emphasis is more on the colours of fragrances and make-up. It’s a question of culture. In Asia beauty is often linked to an interior sense of wellbeing and to taking care of oneself. A lot of retail interiors offering cosmetics to Oriental customers are white. When we designed the Yves Rocher stores in Asia, we replaced the green furniture for which Yves Rocher is known in Europe with white furniture in order to create a clear association between the products and beauty.

 Any heroes? Somebody you'd be if you couldn’t be you? Yves Saint Laurent is one. Just think of fuchsia and black – two signature colours that make you say: ‘Oh, that’s Yves Saint Laurent.’ Another is typographer Adrian Frutiger, who creates typefaces for clients like Charles de Gaulle Airport – letters that give brands the ‘codes’ needed to express themselves. Or Charles and Ray Eames – I like their designs and how they used a pencil to create a chair.

Mind #06 / talking design

www.lavachenoire.fr

WHO Régis Clavelly, cofounder and director of La Vache Noire, a creative agency specializing in the fragrancesand-cosmetics market and in the cultural domain. NATIONALITY French LOCATION Paris HIGHLIGHTS A worldwide retail concept for French beauty brand Yves Rocher and its beauty institutes, including stores and shops-in-shops in Asia; retail concept for French beauty brand Dr Pierre Ricaud, whose products were previously available only by mail order.

 The future of retail is . . . ? Promising. Retail is the first and last contact that people have with many brands. If brands don’t do press and communication, they live only through their retail space. When we worked on Bourgeois, we developed a total concept for the shops in Asia, where the brand did not exist previously. We had to consider how to represent and organize the brand. I picture retail evolving in an increasingly refined way, with each and every detail expressing the brand.

 Common retail mistake? The reconstruction of a brand’s identity. Common retail mistakes occur when a brand is subjected to change – as when a foreign agent or subsidiary believes that because the local market is different the brand needs a new form of expression. In that case, the brand lets the reins of its identity slip away. It loses its DNA, its promise. It may go from one extreme to another: a brand that’s the height of luxury on one continent can become quite accessible on another.

 What’s your description of a satisfying La Vache Noire project? One that allows us to be in charge of everything. For French makeup brand Une, we worked on the identity, the product design, the merchandising and the retail space, everything from A to Z. This was more than satisfying; it was ideal.

 What’s the most frustrating aspect of retail right now? It’s frustrating to enter a store that resembles a museum or a closed box and to be unable to touch the merchandise. I like stores with lots of things and lots of choice. A store should provide accessibility to what you want to buy, to touch, to open. It should be a place where you can ask for advice. A store should have fluidity, facility, a clear layout. It should enable you to understand things easily.

Mind #06 / talking design

 If I had an unlimited budget, I’d create . . . I’d like to have the scope to create the DNA of the brand, the place, the identity and the discourse. It’s not really about budget, though. It’s about quality.

Retail

Bill Tornade cofounder José Ronez.

When the owners of French menswear brand Bill Tornade decided to open a new store on rue Vieille du Temple and to roll out several shops-in-shop at the Galeries Lafayette department-store chain, they asked ALU to execute the merchandising systems. José Ronez, cofounder of Bill Tornade, explains what rock glamour is doing in the Marais and why white is the colour of choice: ‘You need to be able to breathe.’ Words Anna Sansom images Emma Faucheux

Mind #06 / Retail

‘Today we need rounder, softer forms’ José Ronez

 [MiND] Tell us about the background and brand DNA of Bill Tornade. [José Ronez] The brand started in 1977. My brother Francis [who designs the collections] and I started it in a maid’s room and gradually it grew – and grew and grew. At one point it was a lot bigger than it is now. The economic crisis has forced us to become smaller again. But the collections are more precise, luxurious and upscale. We’ve launched a range of shirts, suits and coats, and we do less sportswear. The brand is about a rock-glamour spirit, well-cut clothes and good quality.  How did the partnership with ALU come about? I met Pierre Barbey, the head of ALU in France, by chance at a restaurant. He showed me a catalogue and I liked it. I thought it would be interesting to work together.

ALU's Mobile fixtures have been selected for Bill Tornade's shops-in-shops.

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 Were you looking for a new kind of display solution? Something different from what you had in the shop on rue Etienne Marcel, which you opened 14 years ago? Today we need rounder, softer forms. We were looking for a product that wasn’t too expensive – something modular, adaptable and creative. Using the same ALU product, we can work with a wide range of concepts and do all sorts of things.  What part do ALU display systems play at the rue Vieille du Temple store? We used the Autopole collection, fixing the modules securely between floor and ceiling and allowing the space to evolve linearly. Because the Autopole collection features soft, rounded, subtle forms, people feel good in the store. They enter, browse and buy – all in a casual, relaxed way. >>>

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‘people enter, browse and buy – all in a casual, relaxed way’ José Ronez

 What inspired the design for the store? I wanted to do a white store with a sense of spaciousness – a place that gives people room to breathe. White brings out the colours of the clothes. I liked the idea of doing something different from the wood-panelled floors and black interiors that you find in so many Parisian boutiques. Since the shop is in an area known for its art galleries, it has the spirit of a gallery – very light, with photographs on the walls. There’s also a large, white piece of furniture in the middle, which is industrial and soft at the same time.  What ALU systems are you using for the shopsin-shops that you’ve opened at the Galeries Lafayette stores in Paris, Tours and Toulouse? We selected the Mobile fixtures and geared their use to the size of the shop, to the display concept in question and to the open or closed layout of the shopin-shop. Our smaller outlets, at Galeries Lafayette in Tours and Toulouse, are open: they are not partitioned off from the rest of the store. The one in Paris, where walls are involved, is closed.  Are you going to roll out shops-in-shops at Galeries Lafayette in other cities? I hope so. If it works well in Paris, it’s important for us to continue this strategy throughout the rest of the network. 

ALU's Autopole is starring at Bill Tornade's rue Veille du Temple store. José Ronez: 'Because of Autopole's soft, rounded, subtle forms, people feel good in the store.'

www.billtornade.fr www.galerieslafayette.com www.alu.com

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Interview

Words Alexandra Onderwater Photos courtesy of Christophe

Lemaire

Under his signature label, Christophe Lemaire, he designs elegantly minimalist fashions for self-confident men and women. Frenchman Christophe Lemaire doesn’t roar or rumble – not at the drawing table and not during interviews. Over a Perrier Menthe, the fresh creative director of the Hermès women’s ready-to-wear line talks about quietude, fashion prostitutes and nonconformity. 46

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Paris-based fashion designer Christophe Lemaire was recently appointed creative director of Hermès women’s prêt-à-porter collection.

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Tucked into the back of the cocoon-like Christophe Lemaire boutique is a Lacoste shop-in-shop that was designed along the lines of a ’30s gymnasium.

‘Style is about finding your personal groove’ Christophe Lemaire

For a man whose career deserves a nod of esteem, at the very least – he’s worked for Yves Saint Laurent, Thierry Mugler and Jean Patou; assisted Christian Lacroix; served nine years as artistic director at Lacoste, a period that ended only last winter; and seen his own label garner international success over the past ten years – Christophe Lemaire is remarkably modest. We meet on the terrace of Café Beaubourg in Paris, Lemaire’s home ground. With the Centre Pompidou in my field of vision, not to mention an enthusiastic balloon artist and a mix of chic Parisians and camera-crazy tourists, I scan the crowd and finally spot Lemaire: a tall, soft-featured guy in a moss-green shirt and tortoise-shell sunglasses, scooter helmet perched on the seat next to him. He stands to greet me with a resolute yet friendly look on his face. We have a half hour before he’s off to his next appointment. Three days earlier he had introduced his latest collection, Femme/Homme SS 2011. At the end of March, Lemaire stepped into the shoes of Jean-Paul Gaultier, who had been the creative director of Hermès and head of the brand’s ready-to-wear collection for the previous seven years. But that bit of breaking news is out of bounds for today, because Gaultier is still responsible for the last Hermès collection that’s been shown. ‘It’s still virtual’ – so what’s to be said, other than that working for the fashion house, bar none, is like stepping into a dream. And that, no, he’s not on pins and needles. ‘I have a feeling it will be less complicated than what I did at Lacoste. Lacoste is more corporate, and the collection I designed there was huge. With Hermès, it’s going to be much quieter. It’s not such a big collection either. It’s not going to be easy, but more rewarding, I think.’ >>> Mind #06 / Interview

The Christophe Lemaire boutique in the Marais district has the feel of a cosy living room, thanks to display cushions along the walls.

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 But if everybody is yelling and you remain silent, do you get noticed? Apparently, since someone at Hermès approached me for this position. I don’t believe we exist only through the media. We have been conditioned to think that a designer exists only by appearing on TV or a magazine cover. I don’t agree. There is also the business reality, and what looks good in the media doesn’t necessarily sell. I have always believed that people represent the true destination of the clothes I design. They either buy them or they don’t. Do people wear your clothes or not? That’s the main thing. It’s rewarding when someone tells you they bought a pair of pants you designed ten years ago and still wear them.  Better than being on the cover of a magazine? It’s a great way of getting attention and recognition – but it’s just a medium.  Isn’t the fashion-show frenzy essentially the same thing? Putting on a fashion show twice a year is a single dramatic event. Nothing can replace it. It enables you to create a mood, a context – to explain why you designed a collection. But it’s only a tiny step.

In a past life, the boutique was a chemist’s shop.

 [MiND] For nine years, you gave Lacoste a distinctive face and simultaneously developed your own collection. How did you – and do you – manage to shift from one to the other, constantly donning a different fashion personality? [Lemaire] It’s like an exercise. When I worked at Lacoste, I entered the world of Lacoste. With Hermès it will be the same. As a designer I am very careful, very keen on doing something that makes sense for the brand. That’s my job, and the only thing that interests me. I have never been interested in making noise. I truly believe the fashion business has lost itself in the spectacle. Revolutionary philosopher Guy Debord already described everything that is happening now in a book he wrote in 1967: Society of the Spectacle. At the end of the day, what we currently call ‘fashion’ is just a media-business thing. Spectacular fashion shows that don’t relate to reality.  Presenting clothes that nobody can wear? That nobody can wear, but also . . . [Pauses.] I don’t deny that John Galliano is super-talented, but what is the point in what he is creating for Dior in relation to where Dior is coming from? There is no meaning, no sense.

Photos of the Christophe Lemaire Femme/Homme SS 2011 collection. Photos

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daniel beres

 Isn’t this so-called ‘circus’ intrinsic to the world of fashion? Look, some designers are great at creating beautiful images that make you dream. That’s important. But as a designer, I am not interested in getting attention. I want to do the right thing. 51

 How big is your signature company – Christophe Lemaire? We have a staff of ten. You know, I feel clearer than ever in my mind. I guess it comes with age and experience. I’m very determined to go on. And pretty confident too.

‘To be unorthodox today you have to be a puritan’ Christophe Lemaire

 How does a collection come about? It’s a combination of dreams, a mix of pragmatic questions. There is no recipe. It’s a complex process.  Can you give me a concrete example? For the latest collection I was inspired by a British New Wave band and a French painter. There was something about the texture, the colours – a certain subtlety, off-whites and light greys – that appealed to me. What I had in mind was movement, suggesting a certain kind of clothes. But I try to do the same every season, always the same.  That’s remarkable . . . It explains my focus on style rather than fashion. I don’t believe in changing a collection every season. The system tries to sell you the idea that this season you have to have this luxury bag to be cool. That’s exactly what I’m opposed to. Style is about finding your personal groove. What kinds of pants, shirts >>>

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and colours suit you and say who you are? I try to propose an alphabet – not exchangeable pieces but some sort of ‘basic equipment’ that lets you create your own vocabulary.  Without being boring. I shouldn’t use the word ‘basic’, because it suggests something cheap, but with minimalist, essential work I try to be as simple and as evident as possible, while taking care not to be boring. My ultimate goal is to be simple but special, rich. Every season I set out to discover clothes that reveal the personality, that fuel your moves, your gestures, and don’t disguise you.  How then do you make sure your ad campaigns don’t propose, or impose, a certain type of personality? By using sincere, noble images. Like our show, which was intimate, with people sitting beneath a blue sky and models walking normally. Music and styling suggested elegance. But I do have a specific vision of my ideal woman.  Do we have to be like her? No, not at all. But you have to be clear about who you are. I like quiet fashion, oozing harmony, serenity. Then, of course, you have cool pants that are worn by someone else and go off to lead a life of their own.

‘I try to do the same every season’ Christophe Lemaire

 It’s people who make the clothes. Let’s face it: style is people. The designer can do only half the job. I hate the idea of fashion being some sort of nouveau riche affair. In the ’60s, who you were was how you looked. Now, people who just want to buy a brand don’t even check whether it suits them. It’s so not true, so not being who they are.  Society has changed. I love fashions from the late ’70 and ’80s, when fashion mags were talking about the ‘free woman’ and designers were creating clothes for everyday life: appealing, progressive, stylish, positive fashions. By the end of the ’80s, all that had changed. Fashion started being about money and status. Top models. Capitalism. Fashion magazines took on an air of corruption, showing images of women who looked like high-class prostitutes.

refinement. In being yourself. We have been conditioned by the business and media system to sell stupidity in order to make easy money.

‘The fashion business has lost itself in the spectacle’ Christophe Lemaire

 Women are conditioned to dress a certain way? To be cool? Wear 12-inch heels, make people believe that showing your tits and having orgies is cool. It’s not unorthodox at all. And it has nothing to do with rock’n’roll. I love rock’n’roll. But what’s happening here is too artificial. To be retro today you have to be a puritan. Rock’n’roll is a demonstration of energy and life and nonconformity. Showing everything is just going along with the crowd.  But what if the heels and the sexy duds are her style? If it’s her true identity, I completely accept it. I’m not a fascist. Not everyone should wear what I design. It’s the dictatorship of this development that I’m against. I endorse the right to be eccentric – if it’s truly you, excellent. I believe in diversity, but please don’t insist there’s only one way to be cool and stylish.  So what I buy and wear is my decision? Yes, but we are conditioned, subconsciously. Fashion magazines today are a completely corrupted business.  How do you survive in this jungle? Modern technology gives me the capacity to communicate and stay in touch with the world. That makes it easier. And you have to be able to resist. Professionally and personally, I strive to be true to what I believe. I don’t give up. You have to be able to say no. It’s OK to say no. 

 Prostitutes? Yes. And women were guilty players in that game as well, dressing like whores. There’s a certain sense of pornography there. I’m not a puritan, not at all. When I say ‘whores’ I’m referring to a degraded view of women. I believe in dignity, decency, intelligence, 52

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The fashion label’s design studio is on the first floor. A tennis racket on the façade hints at the presence of Lacoste’s shop-in-shop.

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autopole Shelf for shoe display, loop attached to autopole as a graphic holder. a right match that enables visual merchandisers to create distinctive and ever different window display configurations.

Words Charlotte Vaudrey images alu

Paris is a city whose streets are alive with exchanges, where a glance is returned with a smile. Retailers watching these silent conversations have taken flirting to heart, and Parisian window displays seem to wink at the passerby, catching her eye. Elegant? Desirable? Moi? they imply. 54

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ALUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s savvy systems have been designed to attract that all-important, lingering look, transforming the pedestrian into a potential client.

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Taking retail displays to new heights is Slider, the latest system from ALU. Clip a cabinet to parallel tracks, then rotate or slide it to create a vibrant new window display as often as desired.

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pair floor-to-ceiling autopole with loop and you have a match made in heaven. weatehr used as signage or for shelving, loop is neat and discrete.

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Meanwhile, in a City farAway . . .

 escada Location Harrods, London (UK) Application Fixture ALU Systems Acrobat/ Frame By ALU Italy  Fat face Location Brighton (UK) Application Fixture ALU Systems Mobile By Fat Face In-House Creative Team

 Unleashed Dog Spa Location Toronto (CA) Application Fixture ALU Systems Autopole By ALU USA

 Chevignon Location Paris (FR) Application Fixture ALU Systems Autopole By ALU France

 rip curl Location Hossegor (FR) Application Fixture ALU Systems Autopole By ALU France

 Blackhawks Store Location Chicago, IL (USA) Application Visual Merchandising ALU Systems Autopole By ALU USA 60

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 the north face Location Copenhagen (DK) Application Fixture ALU Systems Mobile By The North Face Team

 tesco Location Prague (CZ) Application Fixture ALU Systems Mobile

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 Dainese Location ISPO, Messe München (DE) Application Fixture ALU Systems Mobile / Ribbon By Dainese SpA

 BHV Location France Application Visual Merchandising ALU Systems Mobile By ALU France

 Signature Store Location Whistler-BC (CA) Application Fixture ALU Systems Reed/Pylon By ALU USA

 Al Sawani Dept Store Location Red Sea Mall, Jeddah (SA) Application Fixture ALU Systems Mobile By KSA / Schwitzke 62

 Sport Heritage Network Location Henley Museum (UK) Application Fixture ALU Systems Box

 Napapijri Location Paris (FR) Application Fixture ALU Systems Autopole By ALU France Mind #06

 Just Bee Location McArthur Glen, Serravalle (IT) Application Fixture ALU Systems Orizzontale By APRIL Milano 63

 BURTON Location Whistler-BC (CA) Application Fixture ALU Systems Reed By ALU USA Mind #06 / Projects

The Classic

The timeless interior design of Les Salons du Palais Royal is influenced by the couleur locale of the area: the Jardins du Palais Royal. words Chris Scott Photo Deidi Von Schaewen

A Valhalla for aficionados of irresistible essences, Les Salons du Palais Royal is the brainchild of perfumer Serge Lutens, who let himself be guided by the couleur locale. Mystical visions and astrological signs meet Arabian nights in the heart of Paris. Walking into Les Salons du Palais Royal is like stepping into another world. You might be hesitant to cross the threshold, but having done so – and having fallen under the seductive spell of sublime scents and sumptuous surroundings – you are sure to become a regular. Pilgrimages are made by members – young and old – of the shop’s loyal international clientele, who are addicted to the fragrances and charmed by the rather old-fashioned elegance and ‘magic’ of the place. Located in what must be one of the most distinguished yet idyllic spots in Paris – Jardins du Palais Royal – with its select mix of shops and restaurants, ‘Les Salons’ is subtly hidden from the city’s main boulevards and busy shopping streets. When sampling 64

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the perfumes and looking out over the courtyard gardens, one imagines having reached nirvana. This ‘refined salon for perfumes’, as it has been referred to, is the work of one of the most talented and gifted creative people around: Serge Lutens, a mysterious and poetic man who finds creativity in ‘everything and nothing’. Born in Lille, France, in 1942, Lutens can glance back – while striding forward – at a fascinating and exciting career that embraces various artistic disciplines, including photography, film, design, hairstyling and make-up. After developing the Christian Dior cosmetics line in the late 1960s, Lutens became the creative director of Shiseido, where he was responsible for the company’s striking international image

from 1980 to 1997. The success of that line of products was such that Lutens was asked to create an exclusive perfume, a project that was followed by the opening of ‘Les Salons’ in 1992. Without hesitation, he pinpointed the site he had in mind: a spot at the very heart of the city – yet away from the crowds – in the Jardins du Palais Royal, which was at the time a place relatively undiscovered by the general public. Lutens, who didn’t want to create a ‘design style’ shop, was influenced strongly by the couleur locale of an area that is steeped in history and which has functioned as a backdrop for literature, film, theatre and culinary excellence. Adorning the upper walls and ceiling of the shop’s unique and timeless interior – already considered a classic among retail spaces – is a wonderland of mystical visions, astrological signs, birds, insects, plants, stars and a smiling moon. A modest Lutens, however, says it may take another 150 years for a rich patina to appear on the surfaces of rooms that he ‘designed 20 years ago’. A touch of Arabian nights underpins a palatial ambience enhanced by sculpted and painted wood, luxurious cedar and oak furnishings, gleaming floors of jewel-like marble – from the same quarry that supplied Château de Versailles – and a palette of deep, warm tones. At the centre of the space, a beautiful spiral staircase of black bronze and red 65

copper gives the enchanting environment a fairytale focal point. Opening its ornate gate, the visitor ascends to a more private area, where low tables and stools in dark wood extend an invitation to sit and partake in some serious olfactory sampling. Much of the inspiration for Lutens’ opulent blends of oils and essences comes from Morocco, in particular from Marrakech, the city where he has lived for many years. This master mixer combines the basics of Arabian perfumes, embellishes the resulting concoctions and furnishes the world of fragrance with scents completely new. To date, some 50 perfumes have been created, a number of which are exclusive to the Salons du Palais Royal. Every year, Lutens designs a limited-edition bell-jar bottle. These scent bottles quickly become highly sought-after collectibles, as each edition comprises only 30 pieces. Asked whether perfume should be seen as one of life’s necessary luxuries, Serge Lutens replies: ‘Perfume is a luxury only if one considers it to be. It depends on how much value you give it. There are no rules.’ 

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alubenelux@alu.com

Mobile is one of those didn’t-know-youneeded-it-till-you-had-it designs. And now, of course, you can’t do without it. Freestanding, lightweight, understated and confident, Mobile makes an ideal addition to any retail environment.

Words Alexandra Onderwater Photos victor duran

Snake your way up a tiny alley in the historical heart of Amsterdam and into ALU’s bright, character-laden Dutch showroom. Located on the first floor of a listed building, the loft-like space generously hosts ALU’s collection of products, providing a mix of contemporary design and Dutch architecture, evoking never-ending stories, and suggesting an infinite number of applications. 66

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An independent communication tool as well as one part of a bigger framework, Oyster flips open wherever desired – to highlight a single product or to convey a significant message – as it merges with the rest of its ‘display tile’ relatives.

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A seemingly ordinary pole with magical features, Autopole blends in and stands out at the same time. And it couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be more accommodating: Autopole makes friends with whatever fixtures you clamp to its shiny tubular structure.

Versatile Ribbon comes in different colours; pictured here is Ribbon in black and silver metallic, which can be combined with almost any other colour.

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Get Lost . . . in

www.resodesign.com

LIBRAIRIE YVON LAMBERT READING ART Unique in Paris, Librairie Yvon Lambert

Paris

is the city’s only book shop owned and run by an art gallery. The conceptual, contemporary Galerie Yvon Lambert lies at the back of the cobbled courtyard at the same address. Managed by Bruno Mayrargue, the book shop has been around for nine years. It stocks a vast array of art books and is a treasure trove for difficult-to-find publications. Check out the sales, or braderies, for books marked down to bargain prices.

 108 rue Vieille du Temple, 75003 Paris +33 1 42 71 09 33 / www.yvon-lambert.com

GALERIE BSL CROSSOVERS IN DESIGN Founded in May 2010 by Béatrice Saint-Laurent and designed by Noé DuchaufourLawrance, Galerie BSL opened with an exhibition of organic pieces by Nacho Carbonell and porcelain objects by Djim Berger. The key feature, though, is a dramatic white Corian strip by Duchaufour-Lawrance that veers through the otherwise black space. The French architect-designer describes it as a ‘functional sculpture extrapolated to architectural dimensions’; it is meant to be ‘cocoon, showcase and display support’ in one. The gallery features 20 th-century lighting by the likes of Ettore Sottsass and Ingo Maurer, vintage and contemporary jewellery by artists such as Pol Bury and Lito Karakostanoglou, and fashion by Martin Grant and Benoît Duvignacq.  23 rue Charlot, 75003 Paris +33 1 44 78 94 14 / www.galeriebsl.com

Words Anna Sansom photos Bruno Fournier

The Marais district of Paris heaves with designer stores, galleries and, of course, French bistros. We asked longstanding local resident Philippe Di Méo to guide us through the freshest, most exciting spots. As the founder of Resodesignband, whose projects range from commissions for Boffi to the creation of Bouddhours – a spiritual artoy (short for ‘art toy’) – and a former organic restaurant, Di Méo knew exactly where to take us. ‘The Marais is an area that has changed a lot in the past 15 years; I remember when there were still prostitutes here.’ 72

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SURFACE TO AIR

ROSE BAKERY

LES PRAIRIES DE PARIS

HIP HIVE The 150-m2 store that creative agency Surface to Air opened in January 2010 deviates from its previous multilabel retail spaces by offering customers only Surface to Air fashions, described as ‘a mix of revisited classics and edgy pieces’. Philippe Di Méo, who likes ‘the equation resulting from the products and the interior design’, bought a pair of trainers during our visit. ‘The clothes are creative and accessible without being pretentious.’ The agency is known for its multifarious collaborations, from music videos for Justice and Midnight Juggernauts to commercials for Louis Vuitton and Diesel. SF2’s versatility extends to the brand’s capsule collections with Justice, rock band Kings of Leon and fashion photographer Sølve Sundsbø. Art on display, such as trivision images from Midnight Juggernauts’ ‘Into the Galaxy’ video, reinforces the collaborative climate. In line with the brand’s eclecticism is the shop’s graphic black-and-white interior design, which juxtaposes wood-panelled and concrete surfaces.

ORGANIC CANTEEN Behind a glass door framed in cast

FASHION ART FUSION The flagship store of trendy



108 rue Vieille du Temple, 75003 Paris +33 1 44 61 76 27 / www.surfacetoair.com

30 rue Debelleyme, 75003 Paris +33 1 49 96 54 01

23 rue Debelleyme, 75003 Paris +33 1 48 04 91 16 / www.lesprairiesdeparis.com

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iron, a long, narrow, split-level eatery serves food – including scones, crepes, tarts and quiches – that is 80 per cent organic. Rose Bakery has built its reputation on brunch and bio, with an emphasis on quality. The owners, French-English couple JeanCharles and Rose Carrarini, previously opened a rustic-style canteen on rue des Martyrs near Montmartre. The Carrarinis boldly expose their ingredients and products on open shelves for all to see. ‘It’s the opposite of the usual style,’ says our guide, ‘because nothing is hidden.’ He compares the place to ‘a college refectory’. In a capital city not known for its devotion to organic cuisine, the success of Rose Bakery is no small feat.

Les Prairies de Paris, a womenswear label featuring designs by Laetitia Ivanez and founded by her father, turns the generic retail concept upside down. The collection is housed solely in the basement. Rather than being a window to the brand, the ground floor is a black-walled exhibition space. Gallerists and curators are invited to present a few pieces of art, and several emblematic works from the collection are pinned to a fabriccovered wall. Visitors get a dose of culture – such as Raymond Hains’ lacerated posters or Wen Fang’s portraits of Chinese workers printed on concrete bricks – before going downstairs to look at the clothes. ‘It's a transversal, open-minded concept in which the store window lends access to other creative domains,’ says Philippe Di Méo. ‘There’s a role reversal, whereby fashions by Les Prairies de Paris occupy the basement rather than the ground floor.’

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BLACK COMME DES GARÇONS

MERCI

TOOLSGALERIE

RETAIL MECCA Merci, a concept store that can be

EDGY DESIGN ‘It’s the edgiest collection of design in Paris,’ says Di Méo. ‘There’s a real vision; it’s about personal, very coherent choices and it’s not at all commercial. I’ve seen the work here of quite a few Dutch designers not yet known in France.’ ToolsGalerie was created in 2003 by Loïc Bigot as ‘a venue for research and convergence exclusively dedicated to contemporary designers’, and its spirit is anchored in today’s designrelated issues. In June and July 2010, the gallery showcased the F-Light series by David Enon. Anticipating the disappearance of incandescent bulbs from the European market in 2012, Enon redefined iconic lamp design with ten table, floor, wall and hanging lamps that rely on low-energy fluorescent bulbs.

BLACK AND WHITE The small space pictured here

 119 rue Vieille du Temple, 75003 Paris +33 1 42 77 35 80 / www.toolsgalerie.com

 7 rue du Perche, 75003 Paris +33 1 42 78 02 67

seen as an alternative to the iconic Colette, was founded by Marie-France and Bernard Cohen after they sold Bonpoint, a chic French brand of clothes for children. Housed in a former 19 th-century textile factory – currently radiating a comfy, clean aesthetic – Merci offers a mishmash of merchandise in a range of prices. This one-stop-for-all venue consists of three loft-like floors filled with contemporary design and furniture, industrial household products, designer and vintage fashion, fragrances and haberdashery. For cooking utensils and hardware, take a detour to the basement. ‘I like the mix of high-end contemporary furniture and tools for the kitchen,’ says our guide. Don’t miss the library of second-hand books next to a cosy café furnished with vintage pieces. Notably, Merci’s proceeds go towards the Cohens’ endowment fund for underprivileged children in countries like Madagascar.

 111 boulevard Beaumarchais, 75003 Paris +33 1 42 77 01 90 / www.merci-merci.com

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belongs to the gang of guerrilla stores selling Comme des Garçons’ more affordable Black line, a collection of fashions that Rei Kawakubo launched in 2009 to celebrate her company’s 40 th anniversary. The concept is ephemeral, and the stores will close in December 2010 after an 18-month existence. Kawakubo has raved about her desire to produce ‘revolutionary retail strategies’ and about the Black stores’ aim to introduce ‘positive energy’ in hard times. In this geometric black-and-white décor, one open cube presents menswear and another womenswear. Collections are back to basics and more focused on the main staples of a wardrobe than on the conceptual, avant-garde styles for which Kawakubo’s main line is renowned.

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ALU Shop

www.alu.com/shop

words Alexandra Onderwater photo S Sofia Fernandez-Stenstrรถm

Three excited kids, litres of paint and a blank canvas in the form of Mobile, Ombelico and Autopole. In the blink of an eye, ALU systems take on a personalized flavour. If only makeovers were always this simple . . . 78

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For such a slim and slender object, the variety of alterations possible with Autopole made even these clever youngsters elf-struck. Presto!

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Ombelico proves its versatility on the spot, doubling as a chair, a table, a storage box, a stool and, of course, a fun thing to paint.

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A daub of green, a dash of blue, a dot of yellow: a modest character like Mobile is easy to transform into anything you want it to be.

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In theAir

Words

Alexandra Onderwater

Landscaping

ADV innovation valley?

Ship ahoy! Shoppers who sail into the port of Nike in the Marais, Paris, or into the brand-new shop devoted to Swedish fashion label Monki in Amsterdam, set foot on unexplored territory. They enter another world. At the new Nike store, our voyager finds a retail interior that reflects the environment outside – in the form of charming illustrations of Parisian street life interwoven with Nike icons on the walls: all designed by Antoine+Manuel, the French duo also responsible for the wallpaper. Credit for the rest of the colourful interior – formerly home to a Jewish book shop – goes to Nike’s in-house design team. The sporty touch comes from features that evoke a range of strenuous activities: pendant lamps hang from what look like climbing ropes, a vault that’s normally for handsprings invites shoppers to sit and relax, and the wall behind the cash desk is a recycled gym floor. Whether a glimpse of land in the distance is always a welcome sight is debatable, however. Throwing out the anchor at Monki in Amsterdam is a rather spooky affair. Here the adventurer finds  Illustrations inspired by sportswear and the streets of Paris adorn the walls of this chunks of ruined skyscrapers, mysterious fascinating two-floor Nike shop in the Marais. vegetation, asphalt and moving machine Photos Katrien Franke parts. Monki’s in-house architects, Catharina Frankander and Joel Degermark, designed this alien arena. Colour comes from neon plants that huddle beneath toxic clouds of gas hovering in the dimness. The occupants of this ghastly ghetto, black Monkis, survey the scene with curious eyes. Not for the hesitant, but a shop that you won’t easily forget.

 Pearls covering part of the ceiling provide illumination, while those on the floor function as seating or display units at Monki’s new Amsterdam shop. Photo

courtesy of Monki

Mind #06 / retail trends

Dream On Give the magazine an attractive cover and double your sales. The same should work for a shop – right? In a world in which a plethora of divine display windows keep popping up, one after another, you’d certainly think so. Some impart a cryptic message; others are a literal translation of the brand and its niche. But more and more often we find scenes that have little to do with the rest of the retail image. Although a good display window has always been a work of art and an extension of brand identity in 3D, most retailers are realizing that the time has come to line their glazed façades with themed narratives. Windows that make us dream, that lift us high above mundane reality – the creation of such flights of fancy is an art that Printemps has understood for nearly a century and a half. Recently, the Parisian department store went all out with an original depiction of Alice in Wonderland in a series of tableaux that left not even the most indifferent passer-by unmoved. Eight windows facing Boulevard Haussmann presented viewers with a unique interpretation of Lewis Carroll’s famous tale, prompted by the premiere of the Disney film directed by Tim Burton. Amidst a surreal landscape of giant props and magical backdrops (designed by the Printemps Creative Team), ‘Alice’ wore costumes created especially for the occasion by a host of top designers whom Printemps had invited to partake in the project: Christopher Kane, Ann Demeulemeester and the late Alexander McQueen, among others. What’s been done in Paris can be done in London. Last summer Selfridges dressed its flagship store in a fantastical set of ‘wonder windows’: five sculptural installations with metaphysical undertones that began in the brain of Brighton resident Kyle Bean. Keeping in mind that ‘matter cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed’, Bean produced visual stories that instantly clarified this scientific theory. One scene featured a suspended wedding cake next to a mobile made of its ingredients; another had a meticulously crafted mythical castle, for which Bean used the pages of three counterweight fairytale books; and yet another contained 88

Me, Myself and I

 Surreal

monochrome backdrops frame the outfits worn by Alice in display windows at Printemps.

Photos

Peyrat

Françis

a cardboard box held in balance by an office chair that Bean fashioned from the same material. All eyes were drawn to a motorcycle balancing in midair beside a hanging assemblage of all the bike’s components. (The installation of this piece was a live performance.) All in all, it was a standout production that set London tongues wagging throughout the sweltering months of July and August. Mind #06 / retail trends

 In perfect

balance on this scale are a wedding cake and all the ingredients that are used to make it – a delicious scene on display at Selfridges that left window-shoppers dying for dessert!

Photo courtesy of Selfridges/ Blinkart

Ideally, the interior of a store is all about the brand. Entourage, furnishings, colours, props – everything expresses and accentuates the spirit of the brand. You will seldom find, however, an environment designed more in harmony with the merchandise for sale than the interior of Boutique Costes, a retail venue named for Hotel Costes, despite the fact that the two have different owners. At first glance, Boutique Costes looks like an ultra-smart display window interrupting the façade of the illustrious design hotel on the chic rue Saint-Honoré in Paris. A peek through the pane rewards the passer-by with the view of a deep-red oasis sheltering instruments of a visibly sensuous nature. Apart from a row of tall, slim bottles (about the size you’d expect to be filled with olive oil, not perfume: ‘We like it to have weight, as it is a precious product’) and tasteful candles on the simple counter, the space breathes not a hint of its purpose, which is to sell incredibly exclusive perfumes. No, it’s the olfactory organ that has to do the work at this spot, where the world of Iunx is revealed in all its glory to the unsuspecting visitor. The nose behind this petite collection of Iunx perfumes and candles? Olivia Giacobetti, the same person who cocreated the Costes line of products in association with Jean Louis Costes and Rami Mecdachi. Sniffing the goods in this store is an act as sophisticated as it is sublime. The tiny space – designed by Olivia Giacobetti; her famous photographer father, Francis Giacobetti; and Fabienne Conte Sévigné – is completely free of frills. The minimalist, subtly illuminated interior sets the tone for the ‘essence experience’. You stand in front of a wall of aromatiseurs: an ingenious system of containers, from which thin sticks project. Press a button and the aroma – pure and alcohol-free – wafts in your direction. At the moment, the collection comprises five eau de toilettes, one perfume and 13 scented candles, including L'Eau Blanche, L'Eau Sento and Splash Forte, as well as the only eau de parfum, the iconic L'Ether. 89

 In this tiny, beautifully illuminated perfume shop, it’s all about scent.

Photos

courtesy of Boutique Costes

Mind #06 / retail trends

How To Use

words Alexandra Onderwater images alu

Life slides through different phases. The same goes for in-store communication and, moreover, for the way in which various types of merchandise are displayed. The dream of every retailer is a display solution that is easy to alter, to transform; something multifunctional and adaptable; a product that breathes an air of contemporary cool. Dream on? Well, we believe that Slider is exactly what you have in mind . . . 90

Mind #06 / How to Use

Actually, the name says it all. Slider is a rail system that slithers along walls, generously taking on graphic panels, box-like units, clip-ons, Hang Bars and a myriad of other display accessories appropriate for the retail environment in question.

Communication is the keyword, and a smooth execution is what you can expect when working with this basic-look design, which features tracks made of extruded aluminium.

A range of matching accessories has been developed to accompany Slider’s slender profile: Clips, Mirrors, Face-Outs and other cleverly designed tools are easy to insert into the system’s specially created channel.

Mind #06 / How to Use

With Slider, it’s not a question of what can be displayed but of what you wish to be displayed.

Mind #06 / How to Use

Need a change of energy? Different merchandise demands a different setup. Alterations can be made as often as the wind switches direction, thanks to Sliderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innovative patented lock mechanism, which makes swapping the rotating cabinets â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with high-load capacity â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a proverbial piece of cake.

Mind #06 / How to Use

Ask The Expert

‘Our windows are intended to boost consumption and to foster dreams’

Hélène Lafourcade heads a staff of 20 visual merchandisers, including identity and branding experts, who are responsible for dressing and showing off 63 Galeries Lafayette stores in France and around the world. The team generates 33 promotional and branding campaigns annually. The Haussmann store alone has 48 windows, which are changed every three to four weeks. Lafourcade was just as busy at school, where she studied both architecture and fashion. On graduating, she did stints at Saint Laurent, Courreges and Lanvin; helped create a visual identity for the Etam Group; and served as marketing director for Armand Thierry. She moved to Galeries Lafayette in 2003, where she has been in charge of image and merchandising since – proving, week after week and window after window, that France has (serious) talent.  [MiND] What is the role of window display in retail? Do you design windows for shoppers, window-shoppers or both? [Lafourcade] Windows are the first line of communication for the store. They allow us to present our fashion inclinations to our customers. They are intended for the shoppers who buy, but also for those who dream while gazing into the windows, content in their admiration for what they see.  What is the message you want to communicate? At Galeries Lafayette we combine art and fashion, and our windows express these two axes perennially, year after year, through our commercial programme – but always within the framework of the brand.

‘We always tell a story across the entire series of display windows’

words Shonquis Moreno Photo courtesy of Galeries Lafayette

Paris’s legendary fashion emporium, the Galeries Lafayette, opened in 1893 and proved an immediate hit with both ladies-who-lunch and working girls with less to spend, namely les midinettes, or ‘light lunchers’. The windows of the store still feature the lush attention to detail, quality and creativity that belie the complaint that such perfection simply does not exist any more. And Galeries Lafayette’s Haussmann flagship is a destination as popular as the Eiffel Tower. MiND skipped breakfast to meet up with Hélène Lafourcade, Lafayette’s creative director. 96

Mind #06 / ask the expert

Hélène Lafourcade

 How do you use what you learned about architecture and fashion design in your work? Indeed, I do have dual training as a designer and an architect. In my trade, one must possess this cultural competence in fashion and design in abundance. The two are complementary and make it possible to solve all the problems that the work presents: drawing a window, a concept store or a piece of furniture; suggesting trends; establishing colour schemes; styling mannequins.

 Are images more important than stories in window design? We always tell a story across the entire series of display windows, as well as throughout the store’s interior. This story relates to a fashion trend that we introduce to our clients, a story that can be told with or without images; it all depends on the scenario. For instance, in our Christmas windows last year, which revolved around the theme ‘Noël Gourmand’, we hosted a great feast that continued inside the store. Running through all the windows was a banquet table that played on the notions of gluttony, profusion and generosity, concepts that can be applied to both fashion and food. This theme allowed us to delve deep into cross-selling, to mix various products and materials.

‘Last Christmas we had a banquet table running through all the windows’ Hélène Lafourcade

 Have advancing technology, online shopping and shifting consumer values changed your job in recent years? No, these things haven’t changed my work. We have simply added new technologies, such as interactivity, to our creative research. One new technology I used just this year, for example, is augmented reality. We put a film of an animated face on a stylized mannequin, which gave the impression that the mannequin was alive and speaking.  Should retail windows convey a different message in a weak economic climate? Or are windows brimming with luxury items something that people in all sorts of circumstances can appreciate – like dreams? Galeries Lafayette has not changed the way in which it communicates, in spite of the financial crisis. 

Mind #06 / ask the expert

Contacts ALU Headquarters Via del Commercio 22 36060 Romano d'Ezzelino (VI) Italy T: +39 0424 516 816 E: aluitaly@alu.com W: www.alu.com For Uk, Germany, Austria, Switserland, Nordic and Baltic Countries: contact ALU Headquarters. North & South America ALU Inc. 138 West 25th Street New York, New York 10001 USA T: +1 212 924 8713 E: aluny@alu.com W: www.alu.com Australia & New Zealand Mei + Picchi Melbourne - Australia T: +61 39900 4200 E: info@meipicchi.com W: www.meipicchi.com Benelux ALU Benelux Amsterdam - The Netherlands T: +31 20 623 8000 E: alubenelux@alu.com France ALU France Paris - France T: +33 (0)1 44 54 03 59 E: alufrance@alu.com Greece & Cyprus Pramantioti S.A. Athens - Greece T: +30 210 515 3049 E: stavroulapram@ath. forthnet.gr

Gulf Cooperation council Indesign Middle East Jeddah - Saudi Arabia T: +966 2 683 0213 E: Pablo@indesign.es E: Nicolas@indesign.es Ireland Systemplus Ltd. Dublin - Ireland T: +353 1 834 4121 E: Michael@systemplus.ie W: www.systemplus.ie Russia Torgkomplekt Moscow - Russia T: +7 495 415 5001 E: nina@torgkomplekt.ru W: www.torgkomplekt.ru Spain & Portugal Indes Consulting & Fitting sl Barcelona - Spain T: +34 93 465 5504 E: maria@indesign.es W: www.indesign.es Turkey Terminal Istanbul - Turkey T: +90 216 557 8384 E: info@terminaldesign.com.tr W: www.terminaldesign.com.tr

ADDRESSES Conny Groenewegen: www.connygroenewegen.nl +31(0) 20 663 04 77 Serpentine gallery: www.serpentinegallery.org 020 7402 6075 Palmerandsons: www.palmerandsons.ca Dover street market: www.doverstreetmarket.com +44 20 7518 0680

Mind #06 / contacts

Sixscents: www.six-scents.com Nymphenburg: www.nymphenburg.com +49 (0) 89 179 197 0 Kuntzel&deygas: www.kuntzeldeygas.com +33 1 42 55 43 94 Arne quinze SQA: www.arnequinze.tv 0032 9 222 99 93 L’eclaireur: www.leclaireur.com Roel dehoorne: (SAQ designer) La vache noire: www.la-vache-noire.com Billtornade: www.billtornade.com Christophe lemaire boutique: www.christophelemaire.com +33 (0)1 44 78 00 09 La coste: www.lacoste.com Hermes: www.hermes.com Serge lutens: www.sergelutens.com Resodesignband – di meo: www.resodesign.com 01 53 01 99 19 Nike store in Le marais: www.nike.com www.parismarais.com Monki’s in Amsterdam: www.monkiworld.com printemps: www.printemps.com selfridges london : www.selfridges.com 0800 123 400 boutique costes: www.hotelcostes.com hotel costes: www.hotelcostes.com galeries lafayette: www.galerieslafayette.com