THE MULTIFACETED CRADLE OF CREATIVITY : TOUBA AW20 MEN’S & PF20 WOMEN’S PARIS SHOWROOM

When in Paris, TOUBA LONDON’s teams works out of 200 sq.m former Protestant Temple built by architect W. Hansen in 1882 on 153 avenue Ledru-Rollin, an architectural gem registered on the heritage protection list of the 11th arrondissement tucked between historic Place de la Bastille and Place de la Nation. The temple, now disused, has a slightly protruding fore-body, surmounted by a carved pediment representing an open Bible overlooking on the buzzing street where retirees and artists mix. I was happy I arrived early for my appointment with Touba’s Operations Manager, Ai Nemoto Thynne, and was able to have a closer look at this oeuvre which I would have never discovered had I not travelled there that day.

At 11am, I rang the doorbell. The old wood door opened, revealing a young women dressed elegantly who flashed a warm smile at me. Ai greeted me inside the redecorated 19th century interior where the showroom was located. Contemporary artworks were hanging from the high moulded ceilings, clothes racks were cleverly scattered around the room and a few custom-designed display units stood alone on the fine parquetry. Ai, speaking over the ambient modern eclectic tunes playing in the background, started telling me about TOUBA LONDON. The company performs an array of functions and fulfils plural interconnected objectives. TOUBA LONDON is not only the main distributor and agent of the fashion labels it selects and helps shine internationally. It also provides a practical showcase for these new or established designers and artists to display their creativity and talent in fashion, photography and artwork by curating showroom presentations as well as photographic and artwork exhibitions in London, Paris, Tokyo, Cophenhagen and now New York. To put it simply, TOUBA LONDON’s eclectic, vibrant and wide ranging endeavours generate experimental and rich showroom presentations which in turn, attract the most creative and bold designers.

With a cappuccino in one hand, my camera in the other and most importantly, an open mind on the hunt for wearable beauty, Ai and I started looking at the fashion labels one by one. For Pynck, I will share the highlights of this journey in fashion and art through a series of articles on Pynck on the different labels I reviewed for you.

Fashion and art coexisted organically in the old temple’s space. The skateboards you can see on the walls were present in the whole showroom. They were created by THE SKATEROOM, a B Corporation which collaborates with internationally acclaimed artists and art foundations to produce art editions on skateboards.

A view of the upper floor of the decommissioned temple featuring an extraordinary stained-glass Rose window.