La Chance

Young Jean-Baptiste Souletie and Louise Breguet presented their new Parisian brand La Chance at the Salone del Mobile. Fourteen pieces by as many international designers — from Italian Luca Nichetto to France's Pierre Favresse, from Pole Bashko Trybek to the Swedish collective Note. The brand has international aspirations and will employ quality materials and traditional processes to produce sophisticated but affordable collections with the aid of mass production.

Elena Sommariva: What are the main characteristics of this new brand?
Jean-Baptiste Souletie and Louise Breguet: La Chance is a new company based in Paris and presented in Milan for the first time. We have 14 pieces in all and most are already available, such as the mirror which will be on sale in September. We have worked with several object types — sofas, tables, mirrors… The whole collection was developed by designers of different nationalities such as the Italian Luca Nichetto and Frenchman Noé Duchaufour Lawrence. Being international and having many different influences is a key feature of the brand. I would describe the style as French because it is very decorative.

What was the brief given to the designers?
Principally to show the structures of the pieces as if they were decorative features, see Noé Duchaufour Lawrence's sofa but also Pierre Favresse's table. The structure is key in every object, its hallmark. This will also be the brand philosophy in the future. We work with good quality materials and traditional methods because I thought , "If we are showing the structure, let's at least make it beautiful." We are not interested in seeking the pure form of Japanese design or being conceptual as is Dutch design or eccentric as is Italian design. I think the brand's French identity brings sophistication. The structures and elements must highlight this sophisticated bent. We mix different materials — from cork to marble — to create a collection with a strong personality.

The same objects in different finishes are on show.
We decided to show two different personalities for each object, to demonstrate that the same furniture can have two sometimes very different personalities. The Bashko Trybek bookcase, for instance, is extremely classical and sophisticated in walnut and black and very pop and energetic in light poplar with coloured uprights. We have not only changed the colours, however, also the materials.

Mass production or limited edition?
We only work with unlimited productions; perhaps we will also have limited editions in the future. The aim of the brand is not to be a gallery but rather to have objects with strong personalities at retail prices.

How long did it take you to develop this project?
We worked on it for 18 months but had been thinking about it for years.

Are you satisfied?
Yes, people are interested. The press is enthusiastic because it is a new brand and it has a good story to tell, I believe. We already have requests from distributors and shops all over the world.