INTERVIEW // TARIAN’s ALL NEW ATELIER

Hi Jérémy, it’s been a few years since our last visit to Paris. How have you been?

Extremely good! Paris has gotten a lot of energy. The past two years were a challenge and opportunity to change our way of living. And also a way to rethink eyewear. I now have the chance to carry out several artistic activities including ceramics and drawings, which is a huge source of inspiration for my eyewear design.

A lot has happened at TARIAN. The most obvious is your new studio. What was the reason for moving?

Creating eyewear means opening your eyes. I loved my previous studio in Paris, but as time goes on, we needed more space and a new energy. I was looking for a new space to also rethink our way of working.

What are some improvements at the new studio?

My new studio is a combination of an office, a ceramic atelier with a wonderful oven, an eyewear showroom and a living room. It’s all in the same place. I established my new atelier in a historical building, Hotel de Melun, built in the 17th century close to Place des Vosges. The atelier is open to everyone upon appointment, and especially to our dearest worldwide opticians. I also open it for children’s ceramics classes during the weekend, and this Christmas season is the opportunity to host art exhibitions of drawings from young Parisian artists. It’s a space for living!

What were your criteria for furnishing the place?

The new atelier is located in an old art gallery. The high ceilings and space were the base of the decoration. I opted for furniture that can match the color palette of my eyewear and ceramics. The »earth color« or terracotta is the base. I mix it with old classic standard and wooden floor and old large windows with some contemporary pieces, and, of course, my favorite timeless furniture: USM Haller. Flowers and plants play a major role in my new studio.

To what extent are you influenced by your other personal interests?

I enjoy drawing, painting and ceramics. The mixture of materials, especially in ceramics is a real source of inspiration to cross, divert and arrange acetate compositions in eyewear.

In your new campaign you also stage your glasses on flowers. What’s behind the idea?

Audacity and intuition. For almost ten years I have been trying to shake up, with good humor, the codes of eyewear by mixing my vision with the know-how of manufacturers and new trends. After the past two years, we needed fresh air and fresh colors. Flowers came naturally as a starting point for my new collection and campaign. I worked with a flower’s artist in Paris, Pauline Monnier, and my dear photographer and friend, Kate Fichard with almost ten years of taking pictures, to create our new visuals that match all our new acetate colors.

You have just launched the new collection Play. What is special about this collection?

I am working more and more on mixing materials, like titanium and acetate. But also refining the treatment of these materials. The Play collection is a combination of acetate layers that we laser cut. Starting with three fundamental colors, each acetate part has been laser-cut to reveal both the useful and the beautiful, and upset aesthetic codes. 

In the Patchwork collection you play with light and colors. What inspires you?

After ten years of creating eyewear, we have accumulated various acetate plates, often scraps from previous productions, despite our limited series. For the Patchwork collection, we reuse these acetate remnants to remix them together, and create new material. In all color combinations we look for the prettiest variations.

Thanks for the interview, Jérémy.