SET SAIL FOR THE MARQUESAS ISLANDS
10/21/2021 14:39:10
TIME STANDS STILL - IN THE MARQUESAS
This is the story of an imaginary trip from Paris to Nuku Hiva, in the Marquesas Islands. This archipelago in French Polynesia is one of the places on Earth I’ve dreamed of visiting for a long time. However, I realized I didn’t actually have to be there to share an “armchair traveler” travelogue. Instead, I could print it on the silk of my new Cinabre scarves et bandanas Cinabre.
After our rewarding back-to-school photo shoot, I thought it’d be fun to invite some more friends around to pose for the camera. This time, Aminata and Mehdi took part. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to them properly:
OUR "LES MARQUISES" SCARVES WORN BY AMINATA
I’ve known Aminata for over 10 years. Every time I see her, the fashion enthusiast in me gets really excited: What rare vintage pieces is she wearing this time? What color combinations? What stylistic departures? Aminata makes bold choices and she’s always right on. La grande classe.
OUR BANDANAS & SCARVES "LES MARQUISES" WORN BY MEHDI
Mehdi is a friend who splits his time between Brussels and Montmartre. He does our in-store playlists. We met at Brasserie Barbès in Paris, where he is a resident DJ, and where we’ve shared the turntables many an evening.
In addition to his musical culture and perfect track sequences, Mehdi is always impeccably dressed, no matter what time of night or how euphoric the audience. Le vrai chic type.
FOCUS ON OUR DESIGNS
This mythical French archipelago inspired two designs (each available in three colors), echoing my own perceptions of the Marquesas Islands: mythology, tattoo culture and the sheer remoteness of this tiny chunk of land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. With hems hand-rolled in France, our scarves and bandanas are versatile: They can adorn your neck, cover your head, be used as a belt or decorate the walls... We had our bandanas framed, like precious souvenirs we brought back from our trip.
Tikiti : Tiki is a divinity of Oceania in human form – the first human, progenitor of humankind. It’s also a carving in humanoid form. In the Marquesas Islands, Tikis are carved out of rock or wood, tattooed on the skin, worn as pendants or placed in front of houses.For our design we made the face more graphic, so it’s halfway between Tiki and E.T.: It’s our Cinabre "Tikiti". Tikis protect, heal, and bring good luck. Worn around your neck or even framed in your homes, the Cinabre Tikiti will hopefully be your grigri, or lucky charm.
Aller simple: Our "Aller-Simple" (meaning "One-way") model is basically a map of the Marquesas Islands archipelago. Most people imagine the Marquesas to be very close to Tahiti, but there are still 1400 km (870 miles) between Papeete and Nuku Hiva, the equivalent of Paris - Stockholm.
It takes nearly 24 hours to get to the archipelago from Paris, so few people actually make it that far. And that’s one of the main reasons it has remained so well preserved. The islands are also not so easily tamed: They are volcanic and wild, far from the white sand beaches and coral reefs of Bora Bora.
TWO OTHER IMAGINARY TRIPS TO THE MARQUESAS ISLANDS
Podcast: For the release of their book "Escales en Polynésie" (Travels through Polynesia), painter-navigator Titouan Lamazou and his daughter, journalist-documentarist Zoé Lamazou, describe their trip in the archipelago through the paintings of one and the interviews of the other. Listen to the podcast on France Inter (in French).
Book : Catalogue from the 2016 Matahoata exhibit at the Quai Branly Museum, still available here. (for our french speakers). It was a pleasure to pick up again when developing this collection.
Bon Voyage,
