Collaborations between creatives are always a way to expand the artistic vision of both parties, and if there is an additional social and altruistic motivation involved, the impact is doubled. This is the case of the Japanese sports giant Asics and the Paris-based designer and artist Florence Tétier, who has created a capsule collection of sneakers adorned with exclusive jewellery to be auctioned and whose proceeds will be entirely donated to the École Démocratique de Paris.
Through the Crafts for Mind program, Asics wishes to promote the importance of mental health as much as its products do physical health, in a collaborative space in which Florence Tétier, co-founder and creative director of Novembre magazine, Creative Director at Jean Paul Gaultier, and jewellery designer for her brand, Tétier Bijoux, takes part in this fourth edition. It is this last facet of the artist that is involved in this project, where thirty pairs of the classic Gel Nimbus 9 have been customised with unique and exclusive jewellery.
The great appeal of Tétier's work lies not only in her striking designs, where organic floral and marine forms come to life, but also in her creative process and ethic, in which her mantra “Nothing dies, everything is transformed” is put into practise by using plastic and obsolete objects as the main materials for her jewellery. And each piece is completely unique, and it is Tétier who is directly in charge of each one of them, hence the exclusivity of the sneakers created with Asics.
The presentation of the thirty pairs will take place tomorrow December 14th at Jogging Marseille, a concept store close to Asics and Tétier's hearts, which will be responsible for hosting the project. The sneakers will be put up for auction on Drouot from Wednesday 14th of December 2022 at 8 pm until Thursday 15th of December 2022 at 8 pm. The profits generated will go to the École Démocratique de Paris, following Tétier's wishes. EDP is an alternative associative school open since 2016 that welcomes children from 5 to 18 years old, where everyone, regardless of age, is able to learn independently according to their necessities.