Adrian Joffe, the sentry of like boys
Le sombre espace de travail est perché sous les combles de l’hôtel de Coulanges, un bâtiment du XVIIe siècle dans le quartier parisien du Marais, où vécut jadis Madame de Sévigné. Le décor est épuré, sinon franchement vide. Aucune photo au mur, aucune décoration. Pour tout mobilier, une grande table de bois autour de laquelle le « Moine » – surnom que la presse internationale accole à Adrian Joffe – invite ses visiteurs à s’installer, assis sur un tabouret.
On the lower floors, activity is much more buoyant. In mid-September, a space of 3,500 square metres-code name 3537, the address rue des Francs-Bourgeois-was inaugurated there. The plastic artist Laurent Grasso will make an installation there in October, followed by the Belgian collective Captain Boomer in November. Later, the artist Olafur Eliasson will show his work on the environment.
The site owner, Adrian Joffe, 68, describes project 3537: "we will host exhibitions, parades, concerts, dance classes, weekends dedicated to the climate crisis, stalls to anyone who wants to rent space", speaking of a rapid flow, through the few notes of sinuous writing he prepared and placed in front of him for the interview, site owner Adrian Joffe, 68 years old, describes project 3537: "we will host exhibitions, parades, concerts, dance classes, weekends dedicated to the climate crisis, stands for anyone who wants to rent spaces".
The man wears his usual uniform, black shirt and trousers, sneakers-all scratched like boys, a group he has chaired since 1993, the year following his marriage to the brand's creator, Rei Kawakubo. While the Japanese conglomerate, with an annual gross turnover of $400 million and 1,200 employees, is considered small in terms of large luxury houses, it enjoys a unique aura.
"Objects for the body"
Depuis quarante ans, les cénacles de la mode vénèrent Rei Kawakubo, qui signe des collections complexes, sculpturales et radicales. « Il n’est pas exagéré de dire qu’elle est la créatrice de mode la plus importante de la seconde moitié du XXe siècle, même si les admirateurs d’Yves Saint Laurent s’en offusqueraient, souligne Benjamin Simmenauer, professeur à l’Institut français de la mode. Elle a été révolutionnaire, avec une exigence créative quasi masochiste. D’ordinaire, les créateurs ressemblent aux scientifiques : ils ont une idée entre 25 et 40 ans, puis la font prospérer, la mettent en culture. Elle, au contraire, n’a rien figé, repart toujours de zéro. »
Although recurrent patterns are perceptible in like des bois, which she founded in Tokyo in 1969-use of black, knots, asymmetry, synthetic materials-but no vintage is foreseeable. Every season has its share of surprises. His classics? Sweaters with holes, clothes that deform the back, masses of feathers. Coins can block hands, make walking difficult. Since 2013, the very word "clothing" has been banned: rei Kawakubo refers to "objects for the body".
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