Out now the playlist n.12 of Deli-Music curated by Aurélien Arbet, founder and artistic director of the Études brand, who let us interview him for the occasion.
How was the brand born?
In 2012, as a group of friends who had done creative projects for ten years, we brought together all our experiences under a new entity. Études was founded in Paris and is a multidisciplinary brand that works in fashion, art, book publishing, and creative direction.
What’s the connection between Études and Music?
Within this idea of multidisciplinary, music plays an essential role at Études and influences the creative territory of the brand; music is present daily in what we do and, in a way, what we are. We’re inspired by these subcultures and their universe: the looks, the styles, the attitudes.
It’s also present in many of our projects, choosing the artist to collaborate with for our runway in Paris. We recently worked with Koudlam, CTM, Lorenzo Senni, and Pierre Rousseau, to name a few. Music is also present through all the mixes we put together on our Soundcloud, in our events, or in our video content. For example, we collaborated with John Talabot, Joakim, and Maud Geffray. A few years ago, we collaborated with Taxi Girl, an iconic “after punk” french Band from the early 80s.
Also, many musicians wear our clothes in video clips, on stage, or in everyday life. So we like to build close relationships with some of them to better understand what they appreciate in our collections. We will release our third record published by Ed Banger in a few weeks.
What is the principal inspiration of the SS23 collection?
The collection is entitled Périphérie. It takes inspiration from la Petite Ceinture, an old train track that encircles Paris; most of it still being abandoned, the city is slowly re- integrating it within the urban landscape. We were interested in what this transition area creates between the center and the city’s outskirts: the flow and mix of population, from abandoned industrial buildings to vacant lots taken over by wilderness, the colors, the materials, and the Parisian light that comes with it. Naturally, we decided to explore workwear — referencing the old train track workers — and refining it with tailored and subtle contemporary silhouettes.
On the day of the SS23 show, CTM performed live cello for a magical runaway on the train tracks of the 19th arrondissement, at the city’s border, at sundown.
What is the starting point of your creative process?
The three of us, Aurélien Arbet, Jérémie Egry, and José Lamali, meet to imagine the following collection. We like to start with a word, a title for the collection. This title could be a place, a feeling, a moment, or a reaction to the world we live in. Once we all agree on it, we select a series of images. Those images can come from places we have visited, random things we saw on the street, a person, or an art piece. The collection can start from there with a title and a few images.
Études, for us, means researching the same subject and approaching it differently every time. For this reason, we like to number each of our collections. Each season is a transition between the past ones and the new territories we plan to experiment with.
How did you build the mix?
‘’Following this idea of a creative process starting from a place, a word, or a feeling… I built this mix around the collection’s theme, Periphery, and what it evokes from a sound point of view.
The mix is imagined as a soundtrack to listen to while traveling by train. Here’s how it goes:
Starting on the platform, introducing early morning sounds.
Time for the departure, hobo’s, from freight train to ambient music.
The trip, a gradual uprise from drone to electronic, moves faster as reality gets blurry.
Upon arrival, it progresses toward soaring, cinematic, and experimental.
End of the journey: back to the roots. ‘’
Words from Aurélien Arbet, Founder and Artistic Director of Études, author of this mix.