Sophie Rheims : the creator is providing an extra soul

You have been working with creators operating in many different fields, is there in your opinion a kind of common denominator between them?

In the luxury sector I know best, creators share the desire to go beyond the product functions in order to add an extra sense and in some ways create an intangible aura. In a way, they provide an "extra soul" that creates the desire to acquire it as it goes beyond its utility function: the consumer buys it for the dream, the status or any other irrational reason.

And, crucially, a creator is willing to generate that element of differentiation and scarcity while acknowledging market demands and constraints related to any business model.

What is your definition of a creator ? 

I did not define it as such. But if I had to draw a parallel, I would say that the creator operates just as a researcher in the field of applied research. He is the generator of the "active ingredient" which gives this added value, the extra soul to the product. In the business world, if you do not spend enough investment in research and development, you loose your leadership. In the luxury sector, it is pretty obvious that those "Maisons de luxe " which are struggling to remain creative - related to the departure of an emblematic creator or the difficulty of recruiting a successor able to re-embody the spirit - are immediately impacted bottomline. It just underlines that creation, just like R & D in traditional corporations is such a powerful engine and at the heart of value creation.

What, in your view, the sectors particularly dynamic and innovative in terms of creation ?

Some traditional activities have recently understood the need to reinvent themselves in the eyes of consumers, to integrate a more creative added value. I am thinking particularly of gastronomy. Today, you are no longer dealing with a chef but with a cooking designer. Behind what might be interpreted as a simple marketing smokescreen, in reality it embraces a broader creative process incorporating new components (shape, composition, brand and identity,…). A Ferran ADRIAN or Pierre HERMÉ have invested in laboratories that develop true applied research.

To take another sector, that of private pools, where you might think that the creative dimension is relatively marginal, one can see the emergence of genuine creators. They integrate and combine different disciplines (architecture, industrial design, landscape creation) to develop a unique creation taking account multiple factors the landscape, the style of the house, the surroundings, the environment as a whole. 

The automobile sector is no doubt one of the best examples of this trend. This industry has developed design centers and initiated as well as guided cooperation between very different creators, pushing the boundaries of conventional industrial design. By integrating the fact that the car is no longer just a transportion vehicle, but a living and recreational space, car manufacturers have come to realise the need to combine a wide range of creative approaches. This dimension is shown for example by RENAULT which, in its advertising approach, "claims creator of automobiles."

In line with the automobile, we are looking at this growing phenomenon with new brands, searching for added value for their customers. They are initiating the so-called "co-development" by incorporating the steps of co-creation between creators from different disciplines. This is a trend expected to grow very strongly.

Another topic on which I would like to get your views, is the issue of cross border creation. Whereas in the past, the spirit and the know-how of a location was fundamental - i.e the Paris fashion, the Italian Design - it seems now that creation has become truly cross-border and beyond globlal ?

In the context of globalization, the creation naturally is clearly affected by this phenomenon. Although it still exists, to take the paralel of wine, some sort of "terroirs" of creation (resulting from a combination of favourable factors: culture, history, well-known creators as role models, innovative corporations, government's support), they have dramatically increased and internationalized. To take the example of design today next to the Italian designers, there are French designers, Dutch, Spanish,… . Same trend in architecture or fashion. It now stands in a multipolarity; Paris is no longer the only capital of fashion, there is Milan, London, New York and may be tomorrow Shanghai and Moscow. Do major designers today have even a nationality ? Training has undoubtedly changed the situation. The emergence of major international schools has replaced, in fashion, the old system of mentoring where one used to learn his craft alongside a great creator in the Maison de Couture atelier. Today, young talented creators are graduated from Saint Martins College of Art and Design or the Royal College of Arts in London, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, the Fashion Institute of Arnehm in Holland or school Duperré in Paris. These young creators through their education and background naturally offer a transnational creation.

I would like to get your opinion on an issue that is often debated: the balance between marketing and creation ?

This balance, I think, very much depends on the spirit in which brands are managed. Everything depends on the arbitration that the entrepreneur imposes between on the one hand, market pressures and marketing and on the other hand, the creative glimpse and aura. Frédérique Malle, which has created a concept editions of perfumes giving "carte blanche" to talented "nez" has been able to find in my opinion this delicate mix. To remain in the field of perfume, it is clear through steps such as Serge LUTENS, which acts as a precursor, or Francis KURKDJIAN that the pendulum is being move for the benefit of creation. Francis KURKDJIAN (www.franciskurkdjian.com) build your perfume "tailor-made" taking into account all aspects of your personality.

Today, the creators who serve international brands have great maturity and a great deal of experience. They know how to keep the right balance between the marketing and the tangible value added of the product.

The management of a creator is a subtle art in order not to stifle his talent and allow him to release all his creativity. What are the key ingredients that make possible to optimize its creative potential ? 

The basic rule is that which applies to any human relationship. The creator is primarily a human being with its own background, sensitivity, emotions and desires. There is certainly a report that installs emotional whose founding principles are trust and respect. Once these ingredients exist, one can build a link that will accompany, and encourage creativity. A creator should be allowed considerable freedom and be  listened and understandood. It is the most effective way to support him. It is only in this context that a productive relationship can flourish.

Last question, in which creative project if any would you have wished to be involved? 

I would have certainly enjoyed working alongside Jean-Louis Dumas who was a great visionary and has been able to renew the creation of the HERMES and internationalize the brand while upholding its tradition. I would have loved participate in the project "BY AFFECTION" of CHANEL which decided to buy five unique fashion suppliers likely to disappear: Desrues, parurier / Lemarié, plumassier / Lesage, brodeur / Massaro, shoemaker / Michel, milliner. This is the magnificent expression of the loyalty of a great "Maison de Couture" with its partners and the means of ensuring the sustainability of the luxury crafts that make up the specificity of French fashion.