Polène has opened its Beijing store using leather bricks. The French leather goods brand has inaugurated its first shop in China, in the Sanlitun district of the capital. Inside, the boutique contains more than 12 tonnes of leather. It is not the first time Polène has made headlines in this way. Months ago, it furnished its Paris store with an extraordinary collection of hand-crafted leather flowers. A leather mission, this, from the French brand — one that, as we shall see, reveals a link with Lineapelle.
What Polène has done with leather
A magnolia tree made entirely of leather welcomes visitors into Polène’s new Beijing boutique. As usual, beyond the products themselves, it is the setting that astonishes those who step into the French brand’s shop. A setting where leather, yet again, takes centre stage. The store features various interactive installations. One example is Craftsmanship – The Art Theatre, which guides visitors through scenes highlighting the brand’s DNA, including its artisanal leather workshop.
Leather, mon amour
In Paris, a City Sculpted in Leather, the streets of the Ville Lumière move to the rhythm of the patacabra, a wooden tool used by the artisans of Ubrique (the Spanish district where Polène manufactures) to set folds and seams on leather goods. In Ubrique, Beneath the Horizon of Artisanship, the artisanal workshops are made from Xuan rice paper. Finally, in The Workshop: the Grand Voyage of Leather-Working, miniature handbags travel along elevated conveyor belts, growing ever larger until they exceed real-life proportions. And where are the 12 tonnes of leather? Simple: in the bricks lining the boutique’s interior, made from compressed offcuts recovered from the brand’s own production.
The link with Lineapelle
A curious and inspiring connection with Polène emerged during Lineapelle’s recent strategic mission to Seoul. Last June, Polène opened its store in the Korean capital, entrusting the team at Gach Leather Dessert Bar with delighting guests and celebrating the union between leather craft and patisserie. It was in this unique venue that Lineapelle presented High Design last week — the private-conversation project that had already stopped in Shanghai and Tokyo.
Images from Polène’s Facebook page
Read also:
- In an era that shuns its roots, Polène opens a tannery-store
- Bonastre, designed in Paris and made in Spain with Italian leather
