{"id":954029,"date":"2025-12-05T16:56:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T13:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=954029"},"modified":"2025-12-05T16:56:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T13:56:14","slug":"christian-louboutin-takes-us-inside-the-new-paris-exhibition-textile-matters-woven-stories-between-india-and-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=954029","title":{"rendered":"Christian Louboutin Takes Us Inside the New Paris Exhibition, \u201cTextile Matters: Woven Stories Between India and France\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Christian Louboutin Takes Us Inside the New Paris Exhibition, \u201cTextile Matters: Woven Stories Between India and France\u201d<\/h1>\n
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By <\/span>Amy Verner<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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MOBILIER NATIONAL – Exposition “Ce qui se trame. Histoires tiss\u00e9es entre l’Inde et la France” – Visuels presse in situL\u00e9gende et cr\u00e9dits: Section Le fil d_or – Vue d_ensemble 3 \u00a9Sophia Taillet.jpg<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n
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When he was a teenager, Christian Louboutin fell in love with India from watching films at a cinema near his home in Paris. He made his first trip at 16 years old, and ever since, he has maintained what he describes as a \u201clifelong love affair\u201d with the country, the culture and the people.<\/p>\n

Now, he has infused his passion into a new exhibition, \u201cTextile Matters: Woven Stories Between India and France,\u201d at the Mobilier National in Paris, overseeing the art direction and collaborating with guest curator Manyank Mansingh Kaul.<\/p>\n

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Exposition “Ce qui se trame. Histoires tiss\u00e9es entre l’Inde et la France” – Visuels presse in situL\u00e9gende et cr\u00e9dits: Cape taille\u0301e dans un cha\u0302le brode\u0301 main d\u2019origine indienne- Collection du MAD \u00a9Sophia Taillet.jpg<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cWhen you go to India, you see so many things of really beautiful quality and beautiful colors everywhere,\u201d Louboutin said during a preview. \u201cSo even if certain techniques no longer exist, there is still so much [that continues], and it\u2019s interesting to compare countries. India still has incredible craft, and that\u2019s partly because there are people fighting for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

His sense for flair and flamboyance adds to an already sumptuous theme. Think: an anti-chamber in which every inch of surface is fully paneled in hand-drawn, hand-printed fabric\u2014antique furniture, classical statues, logs in a fireplace, magnolia flowers strewn on a table, even a candle flame\u2014by artisans from the House of Kandadu. Consider the section titled \u201cIndian Chic\u201d where mannequins outfitted in a number of designer gowns and saris are positioned in runway formation and surrounded by Rithika Merchant\u2019s wall-to-wall tapestries from the Dior spring 2026 haute couture show.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWhen you go to India, you see so many things of really beautiful quality and beautiful colors everywhere,\u201d Louboutin said during a preview. \u201cSo even if certain techniques no longer exist, there is still so much [that continues], and it\u2019s interesting to compare countries. India still has incredible craft, and that\u2019s partly because there are people fighting for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Exposition “Ce qui se trame. Histoires tiss\u00e9es entre l\u2019Inde et la France” au Mobilier national Cr\u00e9dits : Samuel Adams<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The exhibition covers a timeline of some 400 years and spans modest muslin and historical chintz to the spectacular gold metallic corset and embroidered sari encircled by rings of Saturn designed by both Schiaparelli and Sabyaschi for Natasha Poonawala\u2019s attendance at this year\u2019s Met Gala. Interspersed among the seven sections are works from contemporary artists and designers who have passed through the Villa Swagatam residency program organized between France and South Asia.<\/p>\n

The Mobilier National, which safeguards and curates the State\u2019s collection of furniture and textiles\u2014and places pieces in presidential, ministerial, and diplomatic residences\u2014makes for a fitting backdrop. The show space sits within a historic tapestry manufactory in the 13th arrondissement, where two voluminous halls are conducive to large-scale, immersive statements.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In fact, the initial idea for the exhibition can be credited to French President Emmanuel Macron. Following his state visit to India and time with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2024, he encouraged different ways to strengthen the relationship between the two countries. The \u201cbi-national\u201d show, which is titled \u201cCe Qui Se Trame\u201d in French, is supported by the French embassy in India and the French Institute in India; and it effectively typifies a kind of soft-power diplomacy while also celebrating genuine artistry.<\/p>\n

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Exposition “Ce qui se trame. Histoires tiss\u00e9es entre l\u2019Inde et la France” au Mobilier national<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Louboutin felt an imperative to \u201creframe\u201d the textiles\u2014emphasizing the living practice and counterbalancing some of the more technical aspects. \u201cThere were some very beautiful textiles, but when you start [explaining] the difference between one thread and another, I said, \u2018French people don\u2019t care.\u2019 This is for specialists and professionals who have a passion for that. It would bore everyone to death. And that\u2019s where I stepped in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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There are discoveries galore. The fashion section features a Christian Dior silk lam\u00e9 sari from 1953 created for Princess Lilian of Belgium and more lam\u00e9 from Saint Laurent whose seductively draped gown from fall 1991 clearly nods to saris. There is a shimmery, marigold Chanel ensemble from the fall 1968 haute couture collection and then more recent creations: swirling and sculptural from Gauruv Gupta and poetically embroidered from Rahul Mishra. In the final section is one of Le Corbusier\u2019s tapestries designed for the legislative assembly in Chandigarh.<\/p>\n

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Inside the exhibition.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Exposition “Ce qui se trame. Histoires tiss\u00e9es entre l\u2019Inde et la France” – Visuels in situ. L\u00e9gende et cr\u00e9dits : Antichambre par Christian Louboutin – Confection Cerise Guyon \u00a9 Sophia Taillet<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Louboutin seemed particularly adamant that people do not confuse cultural appropriation with \u201ccultural fascination.\u201d \u201cI create things that show interest in world cultures; it\u2019s just how I work. People exchange and learn from others and that\u2019s what trading cultures is all about,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have to defend your values and that\u2019s why I insist on this. I don\u2019t want to hear that suddenly, you shouldn\u2019t look at another culture.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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He pointed out how the word denim is a portmanteau of \u201cde N\u00eemes,\u201d the French city that originally manufactured the proto fabric, and now India has become one of the largest denim producers in the world.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, Kaul noted the Sanskrit word kala<\/em> encompasses \u201cartistry\u201d and \u201ccraftsmanship\u201d in place of a designated word for design. \u201cThere is still a sensitivity to something that is not just labor,\u201d which is often how craft is looked at. I think there is a reverence\u2014not just how they are produced, but how they are received,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

Over the weekend, the exhibition extends to a festival that includes the participation of Le 19M, the specialist manufacturers belonging to Chanel. There are workshops dedicated to weaving a charpai bed and dying indigo along with round-table discussions around savoir faire or the history of madras and music\/dance performances each evening through Sunday. Louboutin will host a masterclass on December 19, discussing his deep attachment to India and the country\u2019s craftsmanship.<\/p>\n

Of course, the opportunity to ask how things are advancing with Jaden Smith\u2014named the brand\u2019s first men\u2019s creative director back in September\u2014proved irresistible. Louboutin smiled and kept mum, saying, \u201cIt\u2019s going very well,\u201d and that the first collection will be revealed in January.<\/p>\n

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As for the always-fun hypothetical of which work he would take home, Louboutin chose Merchant\u2019s tapestries titled \u201cThe Flowers We Grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Exposition “Ce qui se trame. Histoires tiss\u00e9es entre l’Inde et la France” – Visuels presse in situL\u00e9gende et cr\u00e9dits: Section Le chic a\u0300 l_indienne- Vue d_ensemble 1 \u00a9Sophia Taillet.jpg<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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As for the always-fun hypothetical of which work he would take home, Louboutin chose Merchant\u2019s tapestries titled \u201cThe Flowers We Grow,\u201d they are fantastical depictions of her ancestors as mystical creatures amidst nature. They involved upwards of 300 artisans from the Chanakya School of Craft who spent approximately 144,000 hours on the embroidery).<\/p>\n

Kaul, who is based in Delhi, selected two pieces: a tapestry of a painting by the by Indian artist Viswanadhan, which was produced at the national Gobelins manufactory and is the only such textile work in the Mobililer National from an Indian artist, and a photo series, titled \u201cMade In India,\u201d by Leila Alaoui that evocatively focuses on the hands of women who make garments that bear this label. These anonymous portraits, he said, are at once emotional and important, even if they are not the artisans themselves. \u201cAs a visual work, it is the most powerful in the whole exhibition\u2026 as you are suddenly hit with the fact of who makes all of these wonderful textiles around us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Art-directed by Christian Louboutin, \u201cTextile Matters: Woven Stories Between India and France\u201d runs from December 4, 2025 through January 4, 2026 at the Galerie des Gobelins\/Mobilier National in Paris.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The photo series, titled \u201cMade In India,\u201d by Leila Alaoui.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Exposition “Ce qui se trame. Histoires tiss\u00e9es entre l’Inde et la France” – Visuels presse in situL\u00e9gende et cr\u00e9dits: Leila Alaoui – Made in India \u00a9Sophia Taillet.jpg<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

Source URL: http:\/\/vogue.com\/article\/christian-louboutin-takes-us-inside-the-new-paris-exhibition-textile-matters-woven-stories-between-india-and-france<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Runway Christian Louboutin Takes Us Inside the New Paris Exhibition, \u201cTextile Matters: Woven Stories Between India and France\u201d By Amy Verner December 5, 2025 MOBILIER NATIONAL – Exposition “Ce qui se trame. Histoires tiss\u00e9es entre l’Inde et la France” – Visuels presse in situL\u00e9gende et cr\u00e9dits: Section Le fil d_or – Vue d_ensemble 3 \u00a9Sophia […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":954030,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[50],"class_list":["post-954029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-vogue-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/954029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=954029"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/954029\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/954030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=954029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=954029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=954029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}