DAMIEN KEMPF X VERLAN

FOR VERLAN, THIS COLLABORATION IS THE THIRD OF ITS NAME AS PART OF ITS “ART FOR ALL” PROGRAM. AN INITIATIVE THAT AIMS AT PROMOTING ART AND ITS ACCESSIBILITY VIA A SERIES OF NON-PROFIT COLLABORATIONS WITH INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS AND COLLECTIVES SUCH AS THE KOURTRAJMÉ SCHOOL, KENDELL GEERS AND CINGA SAMSON.

FOR EACH PROJECT, VERLAN PROVIDES TO THE ARTIST/COLLECTIVE A BLANK T-SHIRT THAT ACTS AS A BLANK CANVAS. THE ARTIST / COLLECTIVE TAKES OVER WITH ITS CREATIVITY AND BY SELECTING A CHARITY. THE T-SHIRT IS THEN EDITED IN LIMITED QUANTITY AND SOLD EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH THE VERLAN E-SHOP. ALL THE GENERATED PROFITS ARE THEN DONATED TO THE CHARITY CHOSEN BY THE ARTIST/COLLECTIVE.

FOR THIS COLLABORATION, 110 T-SHIRTS HAVE BEEN EDITED. THE T-SHIRTS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR SALE AT 50€ BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK.

THE PROFIT RAISED WILL BE DEDICATED TO MATERIALLY ASSIST AND EDUCATE FRENCH CHILDREN PARTICIPATING TO A NATIONAL PROGRAM DEDICATED AT SHARING THE LOVE OF LITERATURE AND READING ACROSS GENERATIONS.

AN ARTWORK SELECTED BY DAMIEN KEMPF WILL BE PRINTED ON THE BACK OF THE T-SHIRTS AND WILL BE FOLLOWED BY THE QUOTE “DAY 10 OF QUARANTINE”. THIS IMAGE IS A REPRESENTATION OF BIBLICAL FEMALE FIGURE YAEL, WHO KILLED THE KING OF CANAAN IN HER TENT ET THUS FREED THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL FROM OPPRESSION. IT IS AN OFFBEAT COMMENTARY ON THE LOCKDOWN AND THE TENSIONS THAT IT INEVITABLY CREATES WITHIN THE HOUSEHOLD. BUT YAEL’S HEROIC GESTURE ALSO SYMBOLIZES THE DEFEAT OF THE OPPRESSOR, THEREBY ECHOING THE RECENT FEMINIST MOVEMENTS IN THE WAKE OF ME-TOO.

ALL HAND-NUMBERED FROM 1 TO 110 ON THE INTERIOR CARE LABEL, THE T-SHIRTS ARE MADE IN PORTUGAL BY TEXMIN USING A HEAVYWEIGHT 280G AND RIGID ORGANIC COTTON. MOREOVER AND THANKS TO THE ARIANEE BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY, EVERY T-SHIRT IS EQUIPPED WITH A NFC CHIP, ALLOWING FUTURE OWNERS TO ACCESS INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR GARMENT, TO RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE INVITATIONS ON FUTURE LAUNCHES AND TO EASILY RESELL THEIR PRODUCT ON MARKETPLACES.

DAMIEN KEMPF IS A FRENCH MEDIEVALIST. AFTER STUDYING IN FRANCE, GERMANY AND THE UNITED STATES, HE CURRENTLY TEACHES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL. HE IS VERY ACTIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA (TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM), WHERE HE SHARES WITH HIS NUMEROUS FOLLOWERS (MORE THAN 200,000) QUIRKY MEDIEVAL IMAGES WITH FUNNY AND OFFBEAT CAPTIONS, WHICH OFTEN ARE A COMMENTARY ON THE NEWS AND EVERYDAY LIFE.

LIRE ET FAIRE LIRE IS A CHARITABLE PROGRAM THAT AIMS AT SHARING THE LOVE OF LITERATURE AND READING ACROSS GENERATIONS.
THE IDEA IS SIMPLE: HAVE VOLUNTEERS AGED AT LEAST 50 COME TO SCHOOLS AND READ STORIES ALOUD TO SMALL GROUPS OF CHILDREN. THESE VOLUNTEERS, MANY OF WHOM RETIRED, CONTRIBUTE TO THE EDUCATION OF STUDENTS BY SHARING THE PASSION FOR READING, ENCOURAGING LITTLE ONES IN EXPRESSING THEMSELVES IN FRENCH, AND ENABLING THEIR PERSONAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT. IN 1999, FRENCH WRITER ALEXANDRE JARDIN HAD THE IDEA FOR AN ASSOCIATION THAT WOULD BRING TOGETHER LITTLE ONES AND VOLUNTEERS THROUGH THE PASSION OF READING.

VERLAN, SLANG FOR “À L’ENVERS” (UPSIDE-DOWN) IS READY-TO-WEAR BRAND THAT, AS ITS NAME PUTS IT, THINKS REVERSE IN ORDER TO RECONCILE OPPOSITES:

• ORIGINALITY AND TIMELESS
• LIMITED EDITION AND ACCESSIBILITY
• NAUGHTY AND SUSTAINABILITY

IT IS A BRAND OF A GENERATION THAT GATHERS AROUND POP CULTURE WHILE SHARING THE SAME SENSITIVITY TO TIMELESS AESTHETIC AND QUIRKY SUBJECTS: JEAN PROUVÉ AND THE PSG, CY TWOMBLY AND FONKY FAMILY, WES AND PAMELA ANDERSON.

LAUNCHED IN PARIS IN 2019, VERLAN IS OPERATED BY ITS FOUNDER LUCCA LAMOINE.