Other Parisian Addresses

June 1, 2019 | Design & Culture by Ed

Bought two issues of Nicole Wisniak’s legendary Egoïste for a crazy, low price… I really, really adore the Saint Germain vintage bookstores.

Seven more addresses I’ve completely fell in love with in Paris during my last stay. In case you’ve missed my other posts on the city I love the most, here’s a recap: the marvelous Musée Yves Saint Laurent, the newly opened Galeries Lafayette Champs-Élysées, great dining at Vivant, moving ‘Black Models’ exhibition at D’Orsay, Dries Van Noten stores on Rive Gauche, the wonderful Buly 1803, my favorite galleries near Saint Germain-Des-Pres (Laurence Esnol Gallery and Gallery Mingei), Le Marais visit with Azzedine Alaia’s spirit (the late designer’s gallery and boutique/studio/home), Lemaire heaven and delicious Baba. And here are some more!

Galerie Jousse Entreprise

Vintage furniture in a jaw-dropping space. Jean Prové, Charlotte Perriand, Alexandre Noll, you pick.

18 rue de Seine

Loewe

Of course.

46 Avenue Montaigne

Mes Demoiselles

The brand has few stores in Paris, and this one near the Seine is the prettiest. Also, I’m not surprised Parisians are crazy for Anita Radovanovic’s brand. It’s a dream wardrobe.

7 Quai Voltaire

The Broken Arm

This place doesn’t need an introduction. Marine Serre, Lemaire, Jacquemus are all here, just across a relaxing, small park in Le Marais district. If you’re not planning to shop (even though it’s really hard to resist the supply of this store), take a moment for coffee and a home-made cake from their caffè.

12 Rue Perrée

Isaac Reina

Need a wallet, pouch or bag made from leather that actually looks like toffee and has a soft, butter-y texture? Delicious, hand-made leather goods from Isaac Reina are a Parisian’s classic. By the way, I did an interview with the designer a long, long time ago…

12 Rue de Thorigny

Libraire 7L

This one is very sentimental. Located 7 rue de Lille, in the 7th district of Paris, not far from Saint Germain des Prés, from the Louvre museum, and from the Orsay museum, the 7L Bookshop was created by the late Karl Lagerfeld in 1999. Books on design, niche design and fashion magazine, and rare exhibition catalogues are sold here.

7 Rue de Lille

The Church of St. Eustache

While Notre Dame is unavailable due to well known reasons, the Church of St. Eustache will do. The breath-taking rigour of French Gothic is an experience in itself.

2 Impasse Saint-Eustache

All photos by Edward Kanarecki.

Interview with Isaac Reina

June 4, 2015January 6, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

The list of inspirations that designer Isaac Reina names include architects and industrial designers like Jasper Morrison instead of the usual fashion suspects. That’s not to say that Reina doesn’t know luxury – he spent years at luxury leather giant Hermes, and collaborated with Maison Martin Margiela. It’s just that his version of luxury relies on what is not said, knowing when to use luxury elements and when to refrain from all the embellishments and other. I am happy to present you our June interview with this amazing leather goods designer from Paris!

How would you describe “the user” of Isaac Reina leather goods?

Architects, designers, photographers, graphic designers… For now, our typical client is someone extremely cultured and exigent who is generally looking for an alternative to big brands that are too much distributed. They find themselves in our products which are more discrete and confidential.

Are your leather goods “minimal” or rather “sophisticated”? Or both?

Both. We are always looking for the right balance between minimal and sophisticated. If we tend to do minimal work, we might forget some practical and useful aspects necessary in a bag or a wallet. If on the opposite we tend to do sophisticated work we might loose the strength of the first and formal essence of the product. Therefore, we are always searching for something ultra simple and sufficiently sophisticated or something sophisticated without excess.

You have studied architecture in the past. Does it influence your wallets, bags, backpacks, clutches and others?

Definitely. Because architecture is only made of geometry (square, circle, triangle…)which is also our tools and is a very similar approach. Of course architecture has its own techniques specific to architecture itself, like all profession has, very different but incredibly parallel in the projects.

How would you define “luxury” in nowadays leather goods industry?

Luxury itself doesn’t interest me. But I am interested in someone feeling at ease with one of our bag or wallet because the product conveys values and shapes that correspond and suit him/her.

Your brand is all about leather goods. Are you planning to expand the brand with shoes, etc.?

Not shoes at the moment. It is too difficult for me. But since a little time, i am working on new projects like stationary, small objects and furnitures to edit in the future. Why not?