Le Marais was developed to coincide with the reopening of the Vans Paris store, following the success of the London West End collection. Building on the idea of creating products that felt genuinely connected to their location, I developed a larger collection designed to resonate with both Parisians and visitors without falling into the clichés of traditional tourist merchandise.

The collection was rooted in the local identity of Paris. Rather than using the city’s formal name, I centred the graphics around “Paname” a nickname used by locals pairing it with typography inspired by the iconic Paris Métro signage and the original Hector Guimard drawings. This contrast between everyday street language and one of Paris’ most recognisable examples of Art Nouveau became the foundation for the collection’s visual identity.

A second series drew inspiration from Le Mur des Je T’aime, reinterpreting Vans’ historic “I Love My Vans” graphic through a Parisian lens with the phrase “J’Aime Mes Vans Marais.” The concept also referenced the I Love My Vans artwork that had previously appeared on the Valentino runway, creating a subtle link between Vans’ own history and the city’s visual culture. Alongside these graphics, I introduced a playful croissant mascot inspired by the character-driven illustrations found throughout 1990s skate graphics, adding another layer of local identity to the collection.

The collection launched with the reopening of the store and became a best seller, selling through across multiple product categories. Its success helped establish the location-specific programme as an ongoing initiative, with future collections continuing under the same creative framework.