Story of the Panache photo shoot in Paris: the ostrich.
For the Panache à Paname collection, we wanted to show Paris 06 as we experience it every day. For us, the 6th arrondissement isn’t just a place where tourists flock to buy luxury bags or chocolates. It’s a micro-city where many cultures, art and street art, residents, neighbors, and shopkeepers come together.
Why La Hune? The former bookshop has been a Parisian cultural and historical symbol since the 1950s. This first bookshop-gallery showcased the works of the era’s and neighborhood’s most inspiring writers and artists (Sartre, Dubuffet, Picasso, Breton…). In November 2017, a tragic fire destroyed the building. The whole neighborhood was devastated by the disappearance of this little haven of intellectual escape, which had been fighting to survive for decades.
The ostrich, this big-eyed queen, brightens up the square for a while. While waiting to be given a new lease on life, street artist Matt-thieu leaves his mark. The spot is perfect: a black background for a dandy ostrich drawn in white chalk. With “Madame Gertrude,” Matt-thieu’s ostrich, the old bookshop comes back to life. Chalk artists’ drawings are easily erased and therefore ephemeral by nature. Matthieu’s ostrich gazes at us for a while. On his website, he explains: “Their faces adopt a neutral and peaceful expression, turned toward passersby, inviting them to take a step back from their daily lives.”
La Pièce takes a step back, posing in its unisex “Reviens Simone” sweatshirt. The 100% cotton sweater was custom-made for Marie, with direct-to-garment printing and orange ribbing. Taken at Place Saint Germain des Près, renamed Place Jean-Paul Sartre et Simone de Beauvoir, we wanted to honor the feminist’s work. Between Madame Gertrude, this assertive ostrich, and this intellectual Hune, a woman calls for a symbol to speak up again in 2018.
The product. A man ordered and assembled the limited-edition sweatshirt. He had no sewing experience at all. The pieces were cut from a single pattern based on Marie’s measurements. Step by step, he learned to pin the pieces together by following the instruction manual. With the La Pièce sweatshirt, he learned how to sew a hem, attach elastic ribbing, set in sleeves, and above all, how to bring joy.
