French designer Pierre Yovanovitch has partnered with the legendary "red bottoms" purveyor (and his longtime friend) Christian Louboutin to create a series of open-edition chairs inspired by "historical muses, mythology and film." The line includes nine limited-edition creations modeled after Yovanovitch's Clam chair with Louboutin's famous red-soled heels as legs.
Each work is galvanized by a specific character. "Dita," which features a statement-making burlesque costume with laser-engraved upholstery, was created after Louboutin's comrade Dita Von Teese. "Josefina" nods to one of the '20s greatest cabaret performers, with dark-mahogany oak and a fringed leather seat, while "Syrena" evokes a mermaid with embroidered blue marine fabric and fishnet legs.
Down the line, "Nefertari" is inspired by the ancient Queen Nefertari, the wife of Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II, and "Zenobie" cites the Empire of Syria's Queen Zenobia as the reference. Among several other models, the line also includes five "Simply Nude" chairs, toasting to Louboutin's celebrated Nudes footwear collection.
“This collection is as much of an homage to French savoir-faire as it is to feminine beauty,” Yovanovitch said in a statement. "As a close friend and respected visionary, it was a dream to be able to collaborate with Christian on this project. Drawing from our shared affinity for haute-couture artisanry, we enlisted a roster of classically trained artists to meticulously bring these diverse female characters to life.”
The artisans Yovanovitch speaks of include Maisons Vermont, Lesage Interieurs and Atelier Montex embroidery; Atelier Jouffre and Hugo Delavelle's furniture craftsmanship; MM7's (Minuit Moins 7) upholstery; art foundry Solyfonte; goldsmith Alm Deco, Audrey Ludwig's leatherwork and Christophe Martin's fabric painting.
Louboutin added, "It was Pierre who came up with the idea for this collaboration. We had already worked together on some of my interior design projects. To celebrate his iconic Clam chair, I summoned pharaonic goddesses, queens of the stage or queens of the night, chimeras, and heroines of cinema."
The collection will be on view at Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier New York from May 3 to May 24, and it will be available for purchase on the designer's webstore. See the designs in the gallery above.
Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast
