THE NEW COLLECTION: MEMORY

A year ago, during a confidential sale in Paris, we got our hands on a piece of history. A relic of art history, one might say. A dive into the heart of industrial heritage, one might add.

A precious original textile drawing dated 1817, hand-painted on a board with precise annotations, in carefully referenced colors. The paper, the calligraphy, the colored bands... Everything bore the mark of a lost craftsmanship, that of the 19th-century illustrators.ᵉ century.

After some research, this document seems to come from the Établissements Méquillet-Noblot, a textile house located in Franche-Comté, known for its fabric prints, the hallmark of production in Doubs at the time. Active from 1801 to 1964, this manufacture was a pioneer in the use of printed plates, innovative in composition, and a master of color and detail so close to decorative art.

When this fragment of heritage arrived in our hands, something resonated. This abundant pattern — between foliage, stylized flowers, birds, and ornamental architectures — seemed to call for a new life.

It was not about making a copy, even though this path could have been explored, we dismissed this option. We initiated our collection plan as a textile conversation, and lived through this entire period a creative remix between two centuries.

The 19th century is the century par excellence for the study of the living. In this context, botanical plates multiply. Thethe plants, the trees, the vines, the stems, as well as the flowers inspire artists.

Some gather around a common project: to place craftsmanship at the heart of human activity. Thus, they free themselves from the traditional boundary between craftsmanship and art. Architecture, painting, cabinetmaking, artistic ironwork, stained glass art, all skills are utilized. In the spirit of these artists, art and beauty must surround the human being to enhance their daily life and nourish their aspirations.

"Memory" is an ode to the artisans of the shadows, to those designers, those anonymous artists who, more than 200 years ago, created beauty by hand. It is also a declaration of intent: at ARTIST the Studio BF, we believe that fashion can carry meaning, connection, and history. That it can draw from the past to better build the present.

Quite quickly, we shaped this collection as an echo of what was being done. We wanted to resonate with what was by detaching it from all nostalgia. What would this design have been if it had been illustrated today? With our tools, the spirit firmly rooted in the 21st century, we imagined it.

( The coat and bag from the MEMORY collection with the navy suede pants ) 

Our work progressed through scanning, retouching, and recoloring. Then, once recomposed, transformed, and integrated into current cuts and lines, the ARTIST print was born from respect for the past and existing technology. Two versions emerged: one deep, with mineral blues and cold reflections; the other warm, almost flamboyant, between red and magenta pink. The pattern became living material, tangible fabrics, concrete forms. It met the ARTIST silhouettes: jacket, dress, sweater, pants, coat, tops... Clothes designed for 2025 but filled with memory.

We called it "MEMORY" and will present it from August 22 to 31.