OUT IN THE COUNTRY: Monoprix is a serial collaborator, and sometimes a repeat one. To wit: The French retail chain is gearing up for its third exclusive collection with Antik Batik, a Paris-based label synonymous with bohemian chic.
Its folkloric, fur-lined vests, quilted mini-floral jackets and embroidered dresses and blouses are slated to arrive on Friday in 80 Monoprix stores across France and at its online store. The collaboration also extends deeply into the home, spanning bedding, tableware and decorative objects.
“These collaborations offer a wonderful opportunity to introduce the Antik Batik universe to a wider audience in France,” said Gabriella Cortese, founder and creative director. “For me, it is about making craftsmanship and creativity part of people’s everyday lives.”
Retail prices range from 10 euros for socks up to about 95 euros for an embroidered, shearling-style coat.
A look from the Antik Batik x Monoprix collection.
Jose Carvajal/Courtesy of Monoprix
For the latest tie-up, Cortese took inspiration from swaths of central and northern Europe, adding Hungarian folk embroidery and Carpathian decorative motifs to her designs, while also drawing on the nostalgic world of “Little House on the Prairie.”
“My grandmother was Hungarian, and I have always been fascinated by the objects, traditions and atmosphere of her world,” she told WWD. “I imagined opening my grandmother’s cupboards and discovering the things she might have collected over a lifetime: tableware, embroidered linens, beautiful everyday objects. And then opening her wardrobe to find knitted scarves, balaclavas, little dresses and warm pieces designed to accompany you through the winter.
“I wanted to capture that feeling of nostalgia, warmth and simplicity, while giving it a contemporary twist,” she added.
While Cortese included a few plates in previous Monoprix collaborations in 2012 and 2016, she went whole hog for the latest collection, designing placemats, serving trays, glasses, salad tongs and even a fabric-covered bread basket.
“I have always been interested in the art of living, in the objects that surround us and in the way we welcome people into our homes,” she said.
Home wares from the Antik Batik x Monoprix collection.
Jose Carvajal/Courtesy of Monoprix
