Ok-Way’s latest ‘In Y/Our Life’ exhibition to open during Art Basel Paris

Few cultures love an incredible model as a lot as Italy and France, they usually meet this month in Paris, when Ok-Way, a French label owned and beloved by Italians, unveils “In Y/Our Life”, the latest iteration of a singular brand-meets-art celebration.

Devised as a “lyrical celebration of the hidden poetry in everyday life,” In Y/Our Life additionally celebrates the sixtieth anniversary of Ok-Way, a Parisian label managed at the moment by a Piedmontese group. In Y/Our Life can also be a uncommon mix of internationally famend artists, designers, and illustrators reinterpreting on a regular basis objects and supplies; to reimagine them as novel artistic endeavors.
Originally staged in Milan in February, the debut In Y/Our Life included drawing, sculpture, portray, set up, video, and efficiency artwork. A second version within the UK was staged in May in Somerset House, during Photo London.  The Paris version will likely be staged within the historic Atelier Richelieu from October 23 to 26, timed to coincide with Art Basel Paris Week. All three featured notable marques like Bic, Bialetti, Borotalco, Borsalino, Chupa Chups, Moleskine, Moon Boot, Polaroid, Pongo, Post-it Brand, Rollerblade and Scotch Brand.

Among the art-meets-brand dialogues in Paris will likely be “Sweet Torture”, a creative set up by Olimpia Zagnoli, in collaboration with Chupa Chups, making a fantastical seaside hut with inside partitions embedded with 9,000 of the model’s lollipops. There can also be a musical second: a cappella efficiency by Linda Messerklinger, paying tribute to Maurice Ravel’s “Boléro” on the event of the a hundred and fiftieth anniversary of his beginning.

Plus, two new inventive additions, German artist Nadine Fecht will current drawings created utilizing a whole lot of Bic pens, remodeling this on a regular basis object into a creative medium. Also featured will likely be a tribute to famend avenue artist Daniel Baugeste, who within the Nineteen Eighties introduced big Ok-Way posters to China and staged a spectacular sequence of public interventions on the Great Wall.

In a multi-brand assembly, guests are additionally invited to share their private Ok-Way recollections by writing on Moleskine cabinets with Bic pens and fixing them with Scotch tape.

And famous indie retailer Sarah Andelman, previously of Colette, will oversee a particular set up by Anrealage, by Japanese designer Kunihiko Morinaga that may function LED interventions.

FashionNetwork.com caught up with Ok-Way CEO Lorenzo Boglione for his tackle the latest In Y/Our Life. Ok-Way is the most important model inside BasicNet, which incorporates Superga and Kappa, which collectively scored annual gross sales of €409 million in fiscal 2024.

Fashion Network: What’s the rationale you created this idea?
Lorenzo Boglione: We wished to have fun our sixtieth anniversary and began brainstorming. What we might do this gave some worth to individuals who got here to the birthday?

We wished greater than a celebration. Something  cool and enjoyable that matches culturally. To share the power, heritage and historical past of a singular model. So, we thought let’s be part of forces with manufacturers which have comparable values.

That share the identical iconicity, in a narrative telling expertise.  And, we thought, not simply manufacturers. Let’s add artists to this already chaotic state of affairs. Asking them to interpret what these manufacturers symbolize and why they’re in a dictionary.
FN: Why are you opening in Paris?
LB:Well, our first version in Milan had overwhelming curiosity! So, this spring we went to Photo London, the place the model is much less recognized. But Photo London may be very huge. Lots of people got here and have been curious in regards to the model. The UK is a brand new marketplace for us. And we consider that curiosity within the model will encourage gross sales sooner or later as we develop there.
FN: What do you intend to do in another way in Paris?
LB: We added two very fascinating new artists Nadine Fecht and Daniel Baugeste. Unlike in Milan, there will likely be no style present related. But there will likely be a number of cooks accessible, collectively. And there’s a Café Ok-Way, an ode to Parisian cafés, hosted and curated by Momus, giving a unique edge each time to In Y/Our Life.
FN: What does the idea say about Italy or Europe at the moment?
LB: There was no geographic limitation. We simply need to have fun manufacturers that transcend time and area that actually are a part of our life. Hence the identify. Our thought was to make folks worth manufacturers which might be of their lives. It’s additionally about participating extra folks with Ok-Way in future by engaged on their emotions and cultural antenna reasonably than pure business intuition.