paris will always be paris
Last December, Officine Générale's international expansion took me on an almost round-the-world trip in the space of two weeks. I traveled to Seoul and then Tokyo before heading to Los Angeles and back to Paris via New York, where we opened a second boutique, our fourth in the United States, on Madison Avenue.
This business expedition was so intense, fast-paced and varied that I couldn’t wait to come home and share it with my wife, Nina. I wanted to tell her all about the megacities we haven’t been able to visit much in recent years, how neighborhoods and lifestyles have evolved, and the special places that were just as I had remembered them. What I’d found interesting, enjoyable or disappointing... I still can't quite believe my ears when I recall the deafening silence of the Jingūmae district in the heart of Tokyo on a Saturday afternoon. Then there’s the vibrancy and anonymity of Seoul, the energy of the blue sky over Los Angeles, and the calm of nights in Manhattan, which no longer seems to be the city that never sleeps...
I consider myself lucky to travel, even when it's strictly for business. Each time, I discover new things, exchange ideas and learn about others and myself. Going away also allows me to appreciate how lucky I am to live in Paris. As I draft this show note I picture you smiling, or maybe rolling your eyes, as you read... Of course, yes, there are the roadworks, traffic jams — by the way, thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you for coming here tonight! But for the last thirty years or so, I've been lucky enough to live in the City of Light, whose streets, architecture, beauty, atmosphere and people never cease to inspire me.
Paris is my home port, my haven of peace, despite the noise, the gray skies, the pollution, the horns... I wanted this presentation to take place in the heart of the city, on a floor as rough as tarmac, because there are still no showpieces at Officine Générale. All the silhouettes on the runway will be available in our showroom. Here we are on a Friday evening, at the end of a workday, in one of the capital’s busiest neighborhoods, in a typical Haussmannian building surrounded by streets. Very urban and very Parisian, the Fall-Winter 2024-2025 collection is ready to roll.
Pierre
