Nestled beside an Art Gallery on a typical Parisian street, resides a creative shop like no other. A place where you become the designer and the artist, tailor-making your very own wardrobe from jackets, to sweaters, to shirts, to sneakers. From N°11 Blue Lagoon and N°22 Paradise Pink to flannel jackets and cashmere scarves, you can have your article hand painted in 180g‘s atelier in over 100 rich, nuanced, luminous colors.
Owner and co-founder of 180g, Nicolas Chevalier first came up with the concept during an exhibition for Donna Karan in New York City with a desire to push his art to the next level, to make it dynamic and surprising. His paintings however, ended up on clothing rather than canvas. From there it didn’t take long before the unique pieces were being well received and launched in high-end shops like Isetan in Tokyo & Harrods in London.
From all that, 180grammes was born. A creative boutique that mixes tailor-made clothing and hand-dyed pieces where people can feel truly connected to their clothing. Most may recall 180g and Chevalier’s work on a collaboration with Nike whereby the Tennis Classic, Air Flytop, and Flash were given the 180grammes treatment. The process allowed for the materials on the models to be custom dyed, achieving a tailor-made type of aesthetic with various premium textiles and custom detailing. The result was an array of metallic and earthy monochromes with a slightly worn and unfinished look.
We recently caught up with artist, designer and owner of 180g Nicolas Chevalier, and toured the workshop.
LH: What were you doing before 180g? How has that influenced you today?
NC: I was many things… an accessories designer, but I also worked in Marketing – defining visions (fashion), strength of a concepts, offers… All this led me to construct a different approach for 180g, an industrial approach to an artisan product. Something Made in France, very unique that clients could come pick up for themselves. Not something impersonal like a product produced in a series… I really wanted an “experiential” concept.
LH: What is the first thing people typically say when they come into the shop?
NC: That it’s a totally unique idea; a mix of tailor & dyeing like in the past, but revisited with hand painted process & modern look. They tend to spend a lot of time in the shop.
LH: If you can, explain the process of buying a 180g piece…
NC: You select your model from our man & woman collections, your fabric and a ‘nuance’ (dye) from the 100 color-palette we have to design your tailor-made piece of clothing, straight from our Parisian atelier. I feel like it’s something that goes back to tradition, back to a time of actual handmade work. Each piece is completely unique, from the texture, to the colors and effects – the clothing just comes alive.
LH: I heard your favorite color is black, do you have a dark side?
NC: No dark side at all, on the contrary… At 180g, black is color (like the famous French painter Pierre Soulage once said). 180g actually has more than 20 different black ‘colors’ (Ebony, charcoal,…ink blue).
LH: Which color pairs the best with black?
NC: Indigo blue, Grey, or Ink blue.
LH: The models you’ve chosen for the Nike Bastille Collab; the Air Flytop, Tennis Classic, and the Flash are models you don’t see everyday, what was your reasoning behind this choice?
NC: I found that they were sneakers with a real shoe style… they fit really well with our own collection, and they have that high-end look we’re after. Plus, they look stunning when dyed.
LH: What inspires you day to day?
NC: Researching new ‘handmade’ techniques, new ways of doing what we do here at the shop.
LH: What are your plans for the future of 180g? Any upcoming projects you can let us know about?
NC: There will be some new projects/collaborations with Nike, some upscale-type products. Also we’re developing some other collaborations with fashion & furniture brands… so, exciting times ahead!
180grammes is situated at 15, rue des Tournelles, Paris, FRANCE. or find them online, 180grammes.com
180g
15 Rue des Tournelles
75004 Paris
France
