Sunday, September 29, 2013

Pierre Frey: a Parisian escapade

This week I felt compelled to write about a home furnishings brand whose products I have a soft spot for. For two generations now, my family has had a relationship with the creative and refined Paris-based textile editor La Maison Pierre Frey. A commercial relationship that began 30 years ago and that evolved over time into a valued friendship.


A selection of Pierre Frey fabrics

Pierre Frey tapped the pulse of the design world long ago and through the years have sustained the creative production of original fabrics that never cease to fascinate. The collections range from archive-inspired patterns to artist-driven designs. With a unique consistency in the stories told by each collection, all their fabrics are bound by tenets of quality, elegance and always an element of "surprise" (to be read as a french word!).

And now they have added another layer, or rather another "surprise". On the occasion of the renovation of the famous Hotel Costes, now fully upholstered with fabrics by Pierre Frey, La Maison released "Escapade: A Parisian Love Affair". Under the direction of Martial Schmeltz, this is a short movie where the oscar goes to ...the fabrics in the decor! With very subtle but powerful performances and providing the perfect backdrop to a quintessentially french postcard, the fabric patterns subliminally populate the dream-like imagery that envelops the story.




It is no more than a fleeting moment in the transient lives of a Parisian couple, but behind every moment in the movie we feel the passion and the legacy of a brand that has been built around sophisticated living.

It's wonderful to see a brand firmly grounded in its philosophy looking for ways to disrupt a market that has for too long been too tied-up to the old ways of doing business. There are opportunities to connect with customers in a world where brands built on legacy often struggle to be a part of the zeitgeist, and finding the right channel is not always easy This initiative gets it right.

Bravo Pierre Frey! I enjoyed the movie and look forward to the sequel(s).


No comments:

Post a Comment