1st October 2012 Anne Valentin, the co-founder of Anne et Valentin in Toulouse, on frames, creativity and the beauty of colourful eyewear.
Explain how you first started. It just happened one day, from a desire to break with boredom…. A first collection made as beginners, then another, then another,until beautiful objects appeared: great eyeglasses! For over fifteen years, we have been designing them, constantly renewing our shapes and colours. Convinced that uniform grey is nobody’s dream, and that this profession is a pleasure only if it is accompanied by some spirit with lots of heart. Today, our brand, Anne et Valentin is available throughout Europe, in the United States, Canada, Korea, Japan…in the most innovative boutiques of the world.
Do you design as a team? Caroline Dufour, Anne Valentin’s assistant, leads the design team. They have known each other for a very long time. Sitting at the same table, they think and imagine a concept to work with. Everyone is there to enrich an idea. It is this dialogue that creates our requirements. Working together on all projects. A mix of collective and individual work. We work with lots of ideas until the moment when the frame perfectly translates the intention of the initial project.
And your philosophy for eyewear design? To design frames suited to the personality of the wearer. We want to create a collection that is rich enough for everyone to feel free to express his or her personality. This idea always guides us.
Your label is seen by many inside the eyewear business as one of the creative innovators. Please comment. I believe this is because we are in harmony with our times, while providing a more timeless spirit.
Colour is one of your signature traits. How have you managed to take your own unique path with colour? What are your favourite colours for spectacles?
Colours allow the expression of a whole subtle, delicious language in which we can find that we do not know what to choose, and rather like everything. We give special attention to this language because it is made of light.
Your inspiration for your designs often comes from areas beyond fashion and fashion trends. Our inspiration comes from all the different elements of our culture, and from our constant searches and our wanderings. What puts us in motion is the need to discover.
You have your own store in Paris – please tell us about it. We wanted it to be nestled in a vibrant, eclectic neighbourhood where everyone likes to go and have a drink. It opened in 2001. We wanted it to be timeless; for that reason we chose materials with a soul. The floor is made from solid oak and so is the staircase, which welcomes you on the first floor with open arms. Almost all the furniture was designed and made by us in our workshops. It is a fresh and friendly place to buy our spectacles and sunglasses.
How do you connect with today’s customers and understand their needs? We are connected to life in general. We travel and and listen enough to observe and feel the trends.
Is it easy for a French boutique label to develop a design ethos that appeals to an international audience? Please comment. We are deeply attached to our culture, and our identity is strongly anchored in our philosophy; it is shown in our work and reveals a very determined aesthetic. We believe everybody dreams of things from far away places…
Explain how your new collections launching in Paris this week are focused, commenting on key colours, shapes and design elements. Our sunglasses are beautiful objects, defined by an impressive acetate structure, with a clean finish. We have featured an unexpected chromatic line; for example, we are using a very translucent lime green, outlined in black; an ochre with a pearly grey and, of course, the famous tortoiseshell associated with navy blue. The new titanium frames feature duplicate layers of colour which overlap and create a colour vibration. The sobriety of the colours underlines the elegance of these models.
Anne et Valentin, 4 Rue Ste Croix la Bretonnerie, Quartier Saint Gervais, 75004 Paris