Paris is brimming with fresh ideas in the world of fashion design, architecture and tech. It’s seen its hometown heroes make waves across the pond at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, turn heads with fashion shows aboard yachts along the Seine, and draw in the ranks of the music industry’s cool kids like Rihanna and Beyoncé for everything from shooting the latest video to finding inspiration for a new brand. So it’s no surprise that the momentum has carried forward with a fresh new flock of talent hoping to springboard into the mainstream of design conversation. One such collective hopes to push this new breed of designers directly into the spotlight. We’ve had the opportunity to chat with Creativ Labo and Crabe Design, based in the 10th arrondissement and hear all about how they’ve been weaving together a solid patchwork of fresh new talent.
CRAVE: Who is Crabe Design? Who is Creativ Labo?
Crabe Design is a line of prêt à porter for men and women developed by designer and artist Odilon Ngonda. And Creativ Labo is the concept store launched by Odilon Ngonda and Rami Ndione. We sell limited edition sneakers, clothing from young creators and designers from Paris and Amsterdam, as well as run a tattoo salon with an artsy ambiance.
The Creativ Labo team Odilon Ngonda and Rami Ndione in central Paris. Photo courtesy of Creativ Labo.
You’re situated in the heart of St Martin, a place that is always in the process of transformation. Seeing that your boutique is completely different and unique to the others on the block, how do you feel here in this environment? Fashion and design can eke out a niche in the midst of St. Martin’s wave of new restaurants popping up?
I think that the neighborhood adapts well to what we offer, because it’s young, dynamic, qualitative and we stay in the neighborhood that has equally seen fashion transform itself. Fashion and design can find their place amidst the numerous new restaurants because people love atypical and original places where the sense of welcome and products (both good and beautiful) intersect.
Explain the décor and the ambiance of the boutique here in St Martin. What kind of treasures will visitors find at your boutique?
The décor mixes couture clothing with a raw wood finish as well as a specially tailored pure design. It’s minimalist but meticulously nuanced,. We find the comfort of an apartment dotted with various books and art deco objects. And the tattoo salon is enclosed in a glass partition which is an integral part of our concept store.
The boutique features a tattoo parlor, artwork and prêt à porter.
You work with a constellation of young artists and designers. Why is it important to establish a fresh and new lookbook with talent that has yet to be discovered? What kind of style and energy does that give to your boutique?
The new creators and designers bring fresh blood and a new energy each time, and that’s why it’s important to encourage them and support them with the best resources in order to make them better. Our desire for fresh talent brings us new contacts everyday. So we have to be curious and accessible. As a designer, rubbing shoulders with new creators only helps to boost my own creativity and give positive energy.
This new generation of designers is equally audacious and simple. In your lookbook we see a certain concentration on the silhouette of the clothing, an audacity to the shape, and certain tastes that pique the senses.
At Creative Labo we absolutely believe that designers should bring their own universe to our selections. Ultimately it’s the client who will decide if a product is original or innovative.
You have a huge itinerary of collaborations, expos and projects planned for this year. What are some of the projects to come that have got you excited?
We have a collaboration called Creativ Labo X Kodd Magazine for the arrival of the new creator in our boutique in collaboration with Kodd Magazine at the end of June. We also have done Fête de la Musique (a national day celebration of music in France), an exposition called “The Supporters” by Aurore Le Duc at The Windows Galerie and Creativ Labo, a Block Party that is a collaboration between Creativ Labo and Fame and finally a collaboration between Crabedesign and Edwart which debuts this summer.
You have recently conceptualized some international collaborations (ie Beards x Beer) that have seen you work together with artists other than the French. Should we anticipate more projects of the same vein in collaboration with international talents? Installations, expos, etc., abroad for example?
Yes we would love to do a maximum amount of expos like “Beards x Beer” from the New York photographer Chaunna Michole or like Mosart and Painter Jazz who come from Amsterdam. There are so many artists and creators that we’d love to work with that come from London, Tokyo, Stockholm…and clearly artists from Africa and the Caribbean.
The Creativ Labo boutique in central Paris. Photo courtesy of Creativ Labo.
