You can plan as much as you want, and things will still take a turn or show up in ways you didn't expect. Paris was no different.
From September 30 through October 4, House of Story Global opened at 22 Rue de Picardie in the Marais for the first time. I knew going in that I needed to be there from opening to closing. After thirty years in fashion and boutiques, I know that the floor is where you learn everything. You watch who walks in and what they ask for. You see what's working, what needs to change, and what could be better. You feel the energy of the room. This week was no exception.
There were challenges. I had expectations about who would come through the door, and it's Paris Fashion Week. Most buyers, press and influencers are fully booked, and many of them couldn't make it. But all the right people did. I'm sharing the struggle because I think hearing it matters. It's part of the real story.
What I heard most, from so many people, was that the vibration in the room was something they hadn't felt in other showrooms or pop-ups. The frequency and energy between all the independent artists and designers was different. For a first show, I couldn't have asked for a better response.
The pop-ups were a big part of that. Moirai Mohair, Llama and Chaguar, Sophie Tiné, Margaux Sur Mer and Atelier Corbaz each brought a different artisan and couture point of view, so the room changed every day and stayed fresh. Alongside our presenting partners, C'est Jeanne, In Heroes We Trust, ONE432 and Yanawara New York, it felt like a collective in motion.
One afternoon we brought in illustrators to draw models in front of the loom. In a week when everyone is on their phone, it was a fresh, real-time way to experience Fashion Week.
And the loom was the highlight. Neighbors stopped on their way by. Children asked what we were doing. It brought together our community and the community around us. Jamie was so engaging and passionate about it, and that added to the magic of the installation.
Now that I'm home, I feel the kind of expansion you get after a hard workout, or after anything that pushes you further than you thought you could go. It has opened up so many new ways to be creative and to take House of Story Global to the next level.
Thank you to every designer, every guest, every neighbor and everyone who held this up with us. We'll see you in Paris in March. Follow along on Instagram and join the story at houseofstory.global.
— Katharine
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