A new design, fashion and retail experience opens in Paris
New brand La Manufacture offers French allure and Italian craft under the creative crew of Robert Acouri, Milena Laquale and Luca Nichetto
Three figureheads are behind a new Paris-based boutique, La Manufacture: the brainchild of Lebanese entrepreneur Robert Acouri, with his long-time collaborator Milena Laquale as fashion director and Italian designer Luca Nichetto as art director. The trio started engineering the concept eleven months ago as an amalgamation of design, fashion and retail experience – a brand that conveys French allure and Italian craftsmanship.
Raised in Switzerland, Acouri worked in Monaco and Italy in culture and fashion before settling in Paris, where in 2002 he established the Cider Group for the French office furnishings market. ‘Robert’s dream was to create a brand,’ Nichetto says. ‘Cider produces high-quality goods made in Italy, but what the company was missing was a distinctive creative direction.’
Looking back to the celebrated brands of the 1950s, like Herman Miller and Knoll, furniture was originally created for the office market, but as the products were so well thought out, they eventually evolved into household environments. Nichetto explains, ‘Today, the contract market no longer means only offices. There are many different kinds of public or sharing spaces now. For La Manufacture, I defined the typologies that a label needed and identified the designers that in my opinion were best for each typology. Together we worked carefully with CMF (colour, material and finishing) and tried to find a common blend to unite the designs in the collection.’ Oki Sato from Nendo, Ben Gorham, founder of Byredo, Patrick Norguet, Sebastian Herkner, Emma Boomkamp, Todd Bracher, Marco Dessí and Elena Salmistraro are among the first group of creative minds to launch with La Manufacture.
Collection 01 combines artisanal quality with industrial precision, while French and Italian cultures guide the colours and materials used. Decorative reds, yellows and greens reflect Jean Prouvé’s Maison Tropicale and Antti Lovag’s Maisons Bulles while other hues are reminiscent of the interiors of Piero Portaluppi and Gio Ponti. The whites and greys are a nod to mineral colours from Carlo Scarpa’s and Le Corbusier’s avant-garde architecture. As a result, the collection is a adaptable melding of pieces – some minimalistic, some radical and others that are more classic; and when one starts mixing these, the collection easily moulds to different atmospheres and situations.
For the inaugural fashion collection, Laquale created individual pieces in natural materials that at the same time blended with the design line. The topstitched seams of the t-shirt mirror those of Nendo’s Stack poufs; muted shades are accented by fuchsia and emerald for women and coral and green for men.
Nichetto commissioned his fellow Italian creative agency Studio Blanco for the branding, and the 250 sqm flagship space on rue Édouard VII in Paris epitomises La Manufacturer's philosophy and identity. ‘I tried to make the space clean and basic because the pieces should speak for themselves, and every kind of finishing and materials that we picked are chosen to complement the collections,’ says Nichetto. Natural materials like wood and marble are highlighted by craftsmanship and industrial processes, and subtle uses of the logo can be seen in the organic clay plaster while the bespoke tapestries and wallpaper carry the M monogram.
La Manufacture has a big ambition. ‘It is clear that, especially in France, you have boutique editors like La Chance and Petite Friture, mainstream big names like Ligne Roset and Roche Bobois, and then the maisons like Baccarat and Lalique – but there are no strong concepts in between. La Manufacture is a brand that ranges from furniture to lifestyle accessories to fashion, plus a space that houses a unique retail experience. In a couple of years we plan to open more stores in important cities all around the world.' says Nichetto.
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
ADDRESS
3 rue Edouard VII
75009 Paris
Yoko Choy is the China editor at Wallpaper* magazine, where she has contributed for over a decade. Her work has also been featured in numerous Chinese and international publications. As a creative and communications consultant, Yoko has worked with renowned institutions such as Art Basel and Beijing Design Week, as well as brands such as Hermès and Assouline. With dual bases in Hong Kong and Amsterdam, Yoko is an active participant in design awards judging panels and conferences, where she shares her mission of promoting cross-cultural exchange and translating insights from both the Eastern and Western worlds into a common creative language. Yoko is currently working on several exciting projects, including a sustainable lifestyle concept and a book on Chinese contemporary design.
-
British furniture brand Pinch celebrates 20 years of design excellence
UK-based furniture and lighting label Pinch marks two decades in the business with an impressive anniversary collection and a pop-up showroom in New York’s Tribeca
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Eva Fehren's Chroma collection: the ubiquitous highlighter pen gets a precious spin
New York designer Eva Fehren's "Chroma" collection is inspired by the not-so-mellow-yellow of the pen-pot essential
By Caragh McKay Published
-
Trudon ‘Absolu’: an intoxicating orange blossom perfume for the start of autumn
Trudon ‘Absolu’, the house’s latest fragrance by Antoine Lie, blends orange blossom absolute with saffron, cardamom, tonka bean and guaiac wood
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
Olympics opening ceremony: a little Gaga, a lot of spectacle, and universal uplift
How Paris 2024’s Olympics opening ceremony set spirits – and much else – soaring, embracing the Seine, the streets and the skies. Craig McLean reports
By Craig McLean Published
-
Paris Design Week 2023: the highlights
Your essential guide to Paris Design Week 2023, from Maison & Objet to Paris Déco Off, and the best things to see in town as part of Maison & Objet City
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Step by step: Virgil Abloh, Jaime Hayon and more rethink the ladder at Galerie Kreo, Paris
A new exhibition at Galerie Kreo, ‘Step By Step’, invites more than 20 designers to rethink the ladder’s classic design
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Virtually experience the shapes and colours of Pierre Charpin
Take a digital 3D tour of Pierre Charpin’s show ‘Similitude(s)’ at Paris’ Galerie Kreo that explores colour and geometry
By Ali Morris Last updated
-
Re-living Pierre Paulin's 1970s Paris
Take a journey to 1970s Paris with Sotheby’s celebration of the work of French designer Pierre Paulin
By Laura May Todd Last updated
-
Cultural crossings at Maison et Objet January 2020
In Paris this January, Maison et Objet (17-21 January) spanned fun rides, poetic performances and a Mediterranean brand launch
By Sujata Burman Last updated
-
Charles Zana creates unexpected dialogues with 17 paired works in Paris
In exhibition Utopia, Charles Zana turns Tornabuoni Art in Paris into a salon of intimate conversations between Italy’s greatest post-war artists and architects
By Benoit Loiseau Last updated
-
Make yourself at home with the works of Charlotte Perriand at Foundation Louis Vuitton
See the full shoot in our October 2019 issue (W*247), on newsstands now
By Nick Vinson - Art Direction Last updated