We catch up with Jourden’s Anais Mak shortly after her trip to Paris to celebrate her latest collaboration with Colette
The closing of Parisian concept store and cult favourite, Colette, has left many people wondering what the future holds for the world of retail, including 2016 Gen.T lister Anais Mak. So much so that the Jourden designer teamed up with Colette for one last hurrah—a 60s futurism-inspired capsule aptly named “The Future of Retail”—complete with a space-age vending machine.
We spoke with Mak about her big break in Paris and how she envisions the world of fashion in the near future:
Sarah from Colette was one of the first people to carry your collection, can you tell us what’s that like?
I met Sarah back in 2015 at our showroom in Paris, and she picked us up on the spot. It was our fourth collection and we were extremely lucky to be picked up by stores such as Colette and Opening Ceremony. It was a nerve-racking moment when I presented my collection to her, but she was really encouraging and nice. It was definitely a dream come true moment for me. She has given me some encouraging advice along the way, and always tells me to stick with what I believe in.
Colette will be closing its doors end of the year, what’s your feeling on this?
It will be very sad to see Colette close their doors at the end of the year. At this particular time of changes—in the diverse ways people can connect with fashion, the ever-shifting schedule of the industry and new retail models in general—I would be very excited to see what the next step is for Sarah. After all, she’s run Colette for 20 years and has made it something that's much more than a simple retail space, but a hub and a gathering place for creatives from all around the world.
See also: Ports 1961 Gets Cosy For Its Fall/Winter 2017 Collection
The theme is “The Future of Retail”. Did you work to come up with the concept of the space-age vending machine? What was the process of the collaboration like?
"The Future of Retail" is our little playful ode to the ongoing innovative and fun spirit of Colette; if there was ever a floating vending machine in space, it would definitely be from Colette!
