JOE JEANS SOCIALITE PROFESSIONAL

We found a lady who manages a specialist high-end lacquer-work workshop with incredible expertise to make them.

This means our lacquered trays may blend both zesty and duller colours. We observe and are inspired by other cultures. Yves Saint Laurent noticed this before anyone else. Just look at the ceiling of the Forbidden City, and you’ll see what we mean. They are individually hand-painted with a brush! This is pretty unbelievable in a day and age when most objects are produced on an industrial level!ĭid you know that the approach to colour across continents and cultures differs? For example, in Europe, we tend not to mix colours with opposing shades, while in Asia it’s quite the opposite. This was the case for our Naam salad bowl collection, designed and made in a small workshop in Fez. For example, during a workshop visit, we’ll have an idea and a team will work on it. Right now on a whim, depending on our encounters. We like to mix the 1950s, 1960s and contemporary pieces with crafts from different sources, provided they have a tale to tell. Jean and I share our love of mixing and matching styles. The retina takes photos, the brain stores them, some things touch us more than others, and this creates individual taste. The planet is an extraordinary playground, sharing knowledge is mind-blowing, and cultural exchanges are limitless. We’ve always believed it’s just as easy to fly to the other side of the world as to hop on a train and travel to the other side of our beautiful country. A commercial learning curve! All of this shaped my vision and primed my senses. He had an eye for art! Serusier, Belmondo senior, Modigliani: he sold everything, so he could set up a business. There’s also my paternal grandfather who I never knew but who frequented and collected works by artists of his time. Everything’s connected! My curiosity about the world dates from my earliest childhood when I scoured cupboards and was fascinated by the treasures that an uncle brought back after 7 years of travelling through and painting in India in the 1950s. A Berber pouffe, pottery from Tamegroute and hanging lamps made in Indonesia remind this modern globetrotting couple that the next trip is never far away! On the contrary! The vintage pieces they find sit alongside those objects unearthed during their (many) escapades that haven’t yet arrived on their website. Because in these blue-tinted spaces, organised around a central staircase, there is no attempt to hoard. Their interior is a faithful reflection of their wish to make their label an “open window on the world”. Just like the individual behind it! Lacquer from Vietnam, ceramics painted with pigments from Fez: so many age-old techniques handed down with precious anecdotes that the pair, now settled in Bordeaux, are eager to learn about. Summer habits that have become their profession, where every skill they encounter is showcased. A true extension of their tendency to fill their suitcases and bags with “handcrafted treasures”. An e-shop with a thousand and one objects gathered across the globe, which focuses on the handmade craftsmanship in the industrial age, reflecting their “(fascination for) people and their cultures”.

A constant craving for exploration and seeking out pastures new led them – after twenty years of “good and loyal service” – to create their own adventure, turning the page and embracing this new entrepreneurial project with absolutely no regrets.

JOE JEANS SOCIALITE PROFESSIONAL

Family travel to the four corners of the earth, as well as professional travel, shaking up their respective careers in art direction and publishing (for her) and development management in a travel agency (for him). Their desire for travel was instilled in them at an early age and, like a leitmotif, it naturally dictated the rest of their lives. An umpteenth move that made sense for Emmanuelle and Jean Mell, the founders of Authentic-Bazar. Leaving Paris for a “sleeping beauty” in Bordeaux.

Joe jeans socialite