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Inspiration
Lucia Sellier & The Socialite Family
Because they share a deep-rooted love of the Mediterranean basin, artist Lucia Sellier and our founder Constance Gennari have come up with a creative collaboration that celebrates the Italian world, from its cypress-clad landscapes to its Tuscan sienna palaces. An artistic approach that combines interior decoration and pictorial sensibility with a strong sense of commitment. It involves bringing hitherto unused fabric scraps from our collection back to life through creations designed to enhance your everyday life. Drawing their lines from the geography of Italy, the two designers expertly juxtaposed these pieces to give shape to two designs that pay homage to classic Italian architecture. Two scenes featuring a play on graphic perspectives in a duo of pictures – named Terra di sienna, and Tra mare e cielo, made to order by Lucia – and two cushions featuring the same sunny design, made in a limited edition by the Emmaüs Défi association. Pieces in a palette of warm colours, transporting you to the Mediterranean sunshine. You’ll never tire of gazing at their dreamlike contours.
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Lucia Sellier & The Socialite Family is a creative collaboration that celebrates the world of the Mediterranean basin.
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TSF
Constance, Lucia: how did you meet?
Constance
We met a few years ago and worked together on an interior design project for The Socialite Family. It was while we were photographing a friend’s home that I came across a painting by Lucia hanging on the wall. Something just clicked. I felt a strong desire for us to work together again. I love the 2D architecture that she presents in her pictures. They’re very sunny and almost seem to move. And, of course, the idea of using hitherto neglected scraps of fabric from our collection made the approach to this project an even more obvious choice and consistent with our current state of mind.
Lucia
I met Constance and her team during a set design project for The Socialite Family a few years ago. We were already talking about materials in our work, and I was very taken by her world, her colours and her taste for pretty things. We’ve kept in touch since then and I’m delighted to be able to share a new creative experience together through this collaboration.
TSF
Why did you want to partner up and combine your two creative worlds?
Constance
Lucia works on her canvases using fabric scraps from couture houses. And for our part, at The Socialite Family, we choose not to throw away any of the textiles we use to make our curtains, cushions or seating. The idea of re-exploiting these temporarily dormant mediums really interested me. So we worked together to decide how to mix these materials. Our reflections led us to these two pictures – Terra di sienna and Tra mare e cielo – and these two cushions transposed into a world where the architecture is inspired by Italy, of course. The steps from the Villa Malaparte in Capri and umbrella pines from Cap Corse. Always travelling south, barefoot, dreaming of all the icons that marked the 60s on the Côte d’Azur.
Lucia
My compositions are primarily colour-based, and I play with materials to add relief and ruggedness to the landscape. I always work with limited stocks of each material. It may be a constraint, but it forces me to pull out all my creative stops and ensure each landscape is unique. Working with scraps of The Socialite Family’s fabrics greatly inspires me, as I feel in tune with the brand’s universe. I love the range of nuances, the way the materials move, and the depth and quality of the tones. Their Italian inspiration resonates with me – I do, after all, have Mediterranean roots. Like The Socialite Family, I prefer simple yet statement pieces alongside the desire for a collection that spans time, combining the past, present and future. There’s always something new to discover, a fresh look, just like you would with a garment. I love the idea of blending different The Socialite Family creations.
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This collaboration combines decoration and pictorial sensibility with a commitment. It's a commitment to breathing new life into the sleeping fabric scraps in our (...)
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TSF
Tell us about the birth of this artistic project which promotes conscious, reasoned consumption by using fabric scraps from our collection.
Constance
Once we’d defined what we wanted to achieve with this collaboration, we got together with Lucia to consider which colours from our collection would best represent this imaginary world. Such as blue, brick and yellow. A palette of colours chosen to make the most of the shades, tones and texture of each fabric. Some of the pieces complement each other and are in harmony, while others are less so, creating relief in each of the works.
Lucia
My creative process is committed, just like this collaboration. I use upcycled materials for my paintings on a daily basis in order to give them a new lease of life. It made sense for me to partner up with Constance and use The Socialite Family’s fabric scraps because no matter how respectful and artisanal manufacturing methods are, there’s always going to be some waste. It’s inevitable. In an era where sustainable manufacturing is paramount, I know its creative studio continually strives to improve production processes, to do better by limiting waste or finding new ways to use waste material. The two works created during collaboration play with contrasting textures, reliefs, forms and movements. They are works which feature perspective and depth, and add a sense of wanderlust. The palette features predominantly warm and soft colours with a Terre de Sienne that evokes the diversity of Italy’s summer colours – the blues of the sky and sea and the brand’s imitable green.
TSF
Lucia, we are here in your studio apartment where you design and create your works. What steps do you follow to bring your artistic visions to life?
Lucia
I turned a small part of my apartment into a workshop. I’m happy creating my pieces here, this place inspires me, reassures me and energises me. The two drawings in this collaboration are inspired by several photographs. I began with digitally-created lines to produce a graphic painting that took into account the composition and use of perspective. I then superimposed lines and forms, working with movement and light. I built up the images. I create and tweak these graphic drawings until I find the right composition. I play with colours, and harmony without following any particular rule; it’s all pretty instinctive. Using the graphic works as the template, I then build colourful images using scans of The Socialite Family’s fabrics. Once I’m happy with the design, I laser-cut the fabric pieces at La Caserne. I love the place, it’s creative, technical and committed: it’s the largest sustainable fashion hub in Europe. I then create a collage with the fabrics to form landscapes, upcycling each piece to give it a new lease of life.
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TSF
The Lucia Sellier x The Socialite Family collaboration also comprises two cushions with textile overlays that reproduce the lines in your two paintings. Constance, why did you choose the Emmaus Defi to create these pieces?
Constance
We wanted to build on this collaboration by working with Emmaüs Défi to produce the two cushions. Calling on the association’s seamstresses and seamstresses on vocational reintegration schemes means making the most of traditional skills and, more broadly, participating in a social project that is close to our hearts. Assembled on a sewing machine from the landscape of these two paintings, these two creations can be used to decorate any interior. You can treat yourself to a motif from Lucia’s décor, in a smaller, more portable format, and still in a highly architectural spirit. This collection of cushions is ultra-limited, because it’s produced in small series, and in larger-than-usual sizes. Collectors beware! (Laughs)
TSF
How do you see these pictorial pieces being used, bearing in mind their different uses but common ground?
Constance
The cushions will look great on their own on a bed, or on our blue striped Rotondo sofa. As for the paintings, they can be hung in any room. Give free rein to your decorative desires!
Lucia
Anywhere as long as these pieces make you happy!
TSF
For whom did you create these creations?
Constance
For those who love art !
Lucia
Firstly, I wanted to produce something that I like. For me, it’s a good creative starting point for a project that I want to be authentic and personal. I hope that these creations will resonate with all those who love beautiful objects, travel, colours, and materials, and who will be touched by the image of these landscapes. I see these pieces as living objects, that change with the light and the time of day to create reflections, compositions and different textures. Just like a journey, everyone can create their own story, their own universe… This is where imagination comes in, this freedom is at the heart of my journey as well as this collaboration.
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