PARIS — Ramdane Touhami, the prolific world builder behind the relaunches of candlemaker Cire Trudon and magnificence model Officine Universelle Buly, to not point out his luxurious Swiss mountain retreat Drei Berge Lodge, has expanded his personal universe with a brand new boutique in Paris.
Known as Phrases, Sounds, Colours and Shapes, the Marais store is simply steps away from the place he housed his first boutique, L’Épicerie within the late ’90s. Touhami says he’s “returning to his past love” with retail, however the 4,300-square-foot house is a lot greater than a store.
Captivated with retail, Touhami is cautious to not name it an idea retailer. As a substitute it’s a house for the some 18 firms and types he at the moment runs. “For the primary time, we’re beneath one roof,” he stated. “It’s not an idea retailer, no. It’s actually a window into what we are able to do.”
“It’s not simply stuff,” stated Touhami. “And it’s only the start.”
Half a block lengthy and positioned at 10 Rue Perrée, it homes Société Parisienne d’Impression Typographique, the oldest energetic engraver in Europe, which the font fanatic acquired through the early days of the pandemic. For people who eschew preserving a QR code on their cellphone, the shop affords traditional enterprise playing cards and letterhead stationery.
It’s additionally residence to the primary outpost of Café Utopia Drei Berge, the culinary offshoot of his Swiss lodge, with creations overseen by chef Ryutaro Kobayashi, which options scorching drinks and pastries.
The Drei Berge café kiosk inside WSCS.
Quentin Lacombe / Courtesy Courtesy Phrases, Sounds, Colours and Shapes
There’s a cavernous sublevel housing the Radical Media Archive, which homes greater than 2,000 uncommon and historic books, magazines and posters from the counterculture period of the ’50s to the ’80s, in addition to up to date tomes on graphic designs and pictures.
The Everlasting Gallery artwork house completes the format, which is able to welcome reveals from up to date artists, curated by Touhami and “Epoch Evaluate” inventive director Léonard Vernhet. “Epoch Evaluate” is one other of Touhami’s endeavors, {a magazine} that includes a roster of worldwide artists.
Alpine touches inside WSCS.
Quentin Lacombe / Courtesy Phrases, Sounds, Colours and Shapes
Touhami’s personal Die Drei Berge attire, one other offshoot from his lodge, has a house right here. The road is an entire assortment that includes jewellery, hats, shirts, knits, jackets, pants and footwear, and leans into the seasonless pattern: he plans to solely current objects when they’re prepared, as a substitute of sticking to any vogue calendar. There’s additionally an emphasis on individuality, as one can create their very own private monogram to be embroidered on items.
The model has “completely no plastic, not a single product,” stated Touhami. He’s each seeking to century-old methods and artisan craftsmanship in addition to working with experimental dyes and waterproof cotton applied sciences to create the road.
The model additionally launched a handcrafted, sustainable climbing boot constructed from canvas with rubber from the identical provider that outfits firefighters in Japan at a value level of 650 euros.
WSCS serves as a testing floor for these merchandise as he seeks to increase the road. “We need to present our work and need to discuss on to our prospects,” he stated on creating the house.
His fashion-forward outside attire retail idea A Younger Hiker, which initially arrange store on the Palais-Royal to carry collectively manufacturers from Japan, Korea, the U.S. and Paris all beneath one roof, has additionally migrated to the WSCS house with its wares. “Ineffective Fighters,” his new mountain exploration journal, can be on supply right here.
The Everlasting Gallery house inside WSCS.
Quentin Lacombe / Courtesy Phrases, Sounds, Colours and Shapes
Touhami is a model builder who relaunched Officine Universelle Buly in 2014 and bought it to LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton in 2021 for an undisclosed sum. He additionally created the skate model King Dimension and streetwear label Résistance, amongst many different entrepreneurial endeavors. Underneath his Artwork Recherche Industrie company, Touhami has collaborated with a number of luxurious manufacturers together with Moynat, Christofle and Gucci.
Underneath his company, he continues to design retail ideas for different manufacturers (which should stay beneath wraps, he stated), and knew precisely what he wished within the house. The brilliant house is with out bells and whistles, however stuffed with small conventional touches. The upstairs is heavy on heat wooden and brass fixtures with mountaineering cues and images, whereas the decrease stage is the extra trendy gallery house.
“Paris has no place for exhibition. Colette left — there’s a giant gap,” he stated. With loads of flooring space, it’s expansive. “We now have house to ask mates to exhibit. Paris wants a spot like that. There’s nothing happening proper now…however truthfully, we have been shocked there’s nothing happening in Paris to speak about tradition and all the things like that for a very long time.”
The bookstore space inside WSCS.
Quentin Lacombe / Courtesy Phrases, Sounds, Colours and Shapes
Seeing that hole, Touhami and his collaborators got down to create it. The shop shall be a spot of fixed movement, he stated. “Nonstop altering, nonstop opening, pop-ups, all the things nonstop,” he stated, teasing that the following spherical of manufacturers and creations will debut in January. He’s additionally prepping a venture with British artist Luke Edward Corridor.
He’s planning to export the A Younger Hiker idea to Japan, and also will open an outpost of the Café Utopia Drei Berge in Tokyo in November.