PERFECT DRESSING ROOM

After a few days in Paris, I wanted to talk to you about this exhibition called "Le Dressing de rêve des Parisiens".

It takes place at the Hôtel de Ville in the very heart of Paris so we can hardly miss it, plus it's free entrance ! (It's better not to go there during weekend to see fewer people and get time).

This exhibition was born from the idea of Régis Pennel (founder of the concept store L'Exception) and Philippe Zorzetto (founder of the eponymous shoes brand) presents 50 young fashion brands and designers from Paris. They went all over Paris, from "Le Marais" to "Saint Germain des Prés" passing by South Pigalle to discover and carefully select those designers and their boutiques.

Copyright Eple & Melk

This small-scale representation of the fashion market offers different styles, identities and inspirations through ready-to-wear, jewellery, shoes and accessories.
It's a real decoding of parisian trends and a great opportunity to know a bit more about those people who work really hard to keep Paris in motion and enrich our inspirations and wardrobes.

Among the designers you can find:
- Melindagloss
- Andrea Crews
- Eple & Melk
- No Youth Control
- Misericordia
...

Copyright No Youth Control

Copyright Valentine Gauthier

Workshops are organized every saturday for those who'd like to create their own accessories.

8th of september - 31st of october 2015

Monday to Saturday

10am - 7pm

Subway station: Hotel de Ville

Free entrance

BAIN

In the mood for "la bainiade"...

When Unilever is one of the worldwide leaders integrating sustainability into its business strategy, some people are also trying to do something, bringing a small - but nonethless very useful - contribution to the environment, for nature and our lives.

Today, among those "people", I'd like to introduce you a French brand (yes, again !) that's celebrating its 1 year this summer: BAIN.

It's a swimsuit brand created by Cindy and Nicolas, two friends from the oh-so-cool-town of Biarritz, on the west coast of France. Surfers and nature lovers are what describes best the people living there.

Cindy and Nicolas didn't find what they were looking for on the actual market in terms of comfort, style and ethics. That's why they created BAIN.

Copyright Bain

BAIN is for nature lovers: they are locally designed and made with techniques and materials respecting the environment. Materials (from France, Italy and Spain) are made of recycled plastics and fishing nets found in the sea, excluding toxic substances for health or the environment.

Collections are certified by Oeko-Tex® to guarantee the absence of nocive substances in clothes.

Copyright Bain

Bain's swimsuits (for women and men) are colored, mostly with pretty soft colors, plain or printed for a fashionable look, simple but chic, with a pinch of retro style. The definition of "design" : comfort, usefulness and style.

Copyright Bain

However, it's very hard for brand designers to find the right materials and techniques, the right colors, to create a sustainable, eco-friendly and/or organic product. Fewer researches are made into those fields, it's something that takes a lot of time to grow.

That's because we are drowned by worldwide brands with worldwide production techniques, and even though people would like to buy consciously to care more about them and about the environment, they cannot always afford this kind of products. It's once again a matter of quality over quantity. It's the same problem with food.

I guess we should buy less, and learn how to deal with it; buy 1 local and ecofriendly swimsuit instead of 3 of a worldwide brand...

Anyway, brands like BAIN really need our support to last in time and diversify their ranges of products, so feel free to discover them online: here and there.

WOODSTUCK

WOOD STUCK FESTIVAL !

A group of french friends launched its woody woodpecker company: WOOD STUCK.

They're offering wood skins for smartphones.

Original, caring of Mother Nature and easy of use wood skins.

Wood Stucks values are simplicity, quality and respect (of people and nature).

Every product is made in France and certified by the FSC label (Forest Stewardship Council) to respect and maintain natural communities and high conservation value forests, but also to create equitable access to benefits.

To satisfy everyone, they offer different kinds of woods: mahogany, oak, walnut, wenge...

The fact that every tree is unique makes every single wood skin unique too.

And they're sanded by hand.

A very precise work for a high quality product.

Between the year 2000 and the year 2005, 73,000 km² of forests have been destroyed and researches have shown that every minute 2,000 trees are cut in the world.

It seems vital, for our planet and our future, to take care of our environment even if it's on a small scale.

Wood Stuck is a way to begin to change our consumption habits, step by step, and to be aware that another way to consume is possible. It means changing our way of thinking and changing our way of spending. But it's definitely worth it !

PS:  For each purchased product, a tree will be planted in France with an online follow-up of their reforested park.

Find them: here and there 

MADE IN PARIS

Last week I was presenting a french fashion brand from the city of Lyon, today I'm going to talk about a street-wear brand I discovered two years ago in Paris [and from Paris]: LES PARISIENS.

You might think every thing is in its name, but let me tell you the story.

LES PARISIENS is actually two friends combining their skills to create a real "Made in France" brand, even more than Made in France: Made in Paris.

One of them, Sylvain Montassut, is a fashion designer [he got his professional experience during interships and jobs in designer houses like Francesco Smalto and Emmanuelle Khanh] and is taking care of the creative part of the brand. The other one, Ousman Bamba, is taking care of the business part of it. 

Every piece of the collection is made in Paris, and finishing works are sewn by hand (e.g. hand-stitched leather yokes on hats and beanies). Even if those techniques are expensive, they're the core of the brand and its strengths, and they are proud to say they stick to their values.

They want to offer products inspired from the street so people can identify and afford it. 

They target young people from 18 to 30 that may not be able to afford premium or luxury brands, but that don't want to wear what everybody else is wearing (clothes coming from big fashion chains like Zara, H&M and so on).

They put emphasis on quality rather than quantity to produce high quality clothes, with small collections that change quite often. This way they allow their customers to get different products so they are not all dressed the same way.

They also observed that in France, people are not very proud of their country or district (compared to the US), so they wanted to create this "patriotism" and make people realize that they live in a beautiful country with great opportunities, in fashion, but not only.

They both live in Paris and they've always seen people coming from all around the world to visit Paris and do some shopping. But they see tourists with shopping bags coming from worldwide store signs. 

To them, it's completely non-sense because if you're going to Paris, you want to bring home something authentic, something that really DOES come from France, not something you can shop anywhere in the world.

That's why they wanted to change it, at their own level, by offering an alternative street-wear brand.

LES PARISIENS is therefore a state of mind, a way of dress and a way of life.

Meet them here.

Discover collection there