Lounge
April 28, 2015
Series | Paris, Here and There 001 The Hugely Popular Artist Nathalie Lété's Collaboration with Monoprix
Chapter 001: Avenue des Champs-Élysées × Nathalie LÉTÉ
Collaboration Items from Popular Artist Nathalie LÉTÉ and Monoprix
This marks the start of our new series, "Paris Here and There." Mai Ko Matsunaga, editor-in-chief of the web magazine "Chocolat Mag" and a Paris resident, will introduce things and encounters found in various corners of Paris. The title is inspired by the 1965 French short omnibus film "Paris vu par…" (Paris Seen By…), which features six directors representing the Nouvelle Vague, each set in a different Parisian location. Mai Ko Matsunaga will share her Paris, seen from different perspectives. For our first installment, we begin with a collaboration between artist Nathalie LÉTÉ and the supermarket Monoprix. Merci!
Photos and text by Mai Ko Matsunaga
I first met Nathalie through a mutual creative friend. In France, there's a tradition called "Vente de Noël" where artists and creators invite people to their studios or homes, offer tea or wine, and sell their works and products. This typically happens in early December, when people are looking for Christmas gifts. It began modestly at Nathalie's home, which she had recently moved into 10 years prior. That's when I purchased a set of plates, large and small, inspired by breakfast. For some reason, I bought five small plates. I wasn't married then. And strangely, now that I have a family of five, they've become incredibly useful.
Then, I received an email from Nathalie. Her activities this year have a strong collaborative focus. In January, she collaborated with Anthropologie on soaps, in April on a dress, in August with Laurent Gandini on rings, and previously with Astier de Villatte, a charismatic tableware brand (as I like to call it).
So, what would it be this time?
It read: "There's a surprise at the MONOPRIX on the Champs-Élysées in September, so come at 3 PM!"
Monoprix is a somewhat stylish supermarket chain found throughout France. Every year, they collaborate with emerging artists and brands to create products. More recently, they've partnered with well-known names like WOWO and Tsé & Tsé, also popular in Japan. For us, her long-time fans, it felt like a long time coming! Seeing the product lineup, I thought, "This is so Nathalie!" The time felt ripe.
So, wondering "What could this surprise be?", I wandered around the Monoprix Champs-Élysées store before 3 PM. Immediately upon entering, all of Nathalie's collaboration items were displayed, creating a wonderful space surrounded by colorful, fun, and uniquely whimsical illustrations. At 3 PM, cheers erupted from outside the store! That's right, Nathalie herself appeared inside the show window and began to draw. Passersby stopped in their tracks, pulling out phones and cameras for a photo session! After all, she's a celebrity. While I was near the glass to take photos, she didn't even notice me, her intense focus and serious demeanor as she drew were that of a true artist. And after three hours, it was complete. Her previous works were known for being colorful and kitsch, but this show window was entirely in white, revealing a different facet of her artistry.
As I had plans to meet Eriko Nakamura and her new baby the following week, I chose a Nathalie × Monoprix collaboration item as a baby gift. They were so charming, I couldn't resist buying them. Even the usually tourist-filled Champs-Élysées was packed with French people that day. Nathalie's influence had even shifted the flow of the city.