Simon Porte Jacquemus is known for his vibrant celebration of Provençal living, so it makes sense that his first foray into interior design includes a pool chair in a sunny striped fabric.
Jacquemus collaborated with Italian company Exteta to launch a reedition of Gae Aulenti’s Locus Solus outdoor furniture, designed in 1964. The four pieces dropped on Monday, just in time for the Salone del Mobile in Milan, and are available exclusively on the Jacquemus website and at its store on Avenue Montaigne in Paris.
“I have always dreamed of developing a furniture line,” Jacquemus said in a statement. “I’m a great fan of designer chairs and I have collected Gae Aulenti vintage chairs for many years, ever since I saw them in the movie ‘La Piscine’ by Jacques Deray. I wanted to add a Jacquemus touch to the chair, with a yellow striped fabric inspired by ‘80s beach mattresses and umbrellas.”
The Gae Aulenti Locus Solus armchair by Exteta and Jacquemus.
Courtesy of Jacquemus
Prices start at 1,188 euros for a Locus Solus chair in an off-white structure and yellow striped fabric, and rise to 5,940 euros for the matching sun lounger. Exteta originally relaunched the collection in 2017 and offers the items in a variety of colors and fabrics.
Jacquemus is famous for his playful store designs, which include a giant popcorn machine and automatic lockers dispensing handbags. He also designed a café and a restaurant that reflected his fascination with everything Mediterranean.
The Gae Aulenti furniture line launched in tandem with a capsule collection titled Objets, designed to complement the Le Raphia collection, presented in Paris in December. It includes vases, plates and trays in soft leather and earth tones, in addition to hair pins shaped like flowers and leaves, and key rings featuring leather cutouts of everyday objects like a knife and fork.
In addition, the designer curated a selection of the photographs and books that inspired his collection. They include photos shot by Lucien Clergue, including a rare portrait of Pablo Picasso at the Fréjus corrida in 1962, priced at 4,800 euros, and vintage books from David Hockney, Tarsila do Amaral, René Burri, Luis Barragán and Claude Nori, among others.
A plate carrier from the Jacquemus Objets collection.
Courtesy of Jacquemus
