Esprits libres, par Stéphane Ashpool et Paul Rousteau

Esprits libres, Stéphane Ashpool et Paul Rousteau

Free spirits
An immersion into the origins of the design of the French national team’s outfits
In March 2023, fashion designer Stéphane Ashpool joined Le Coq Sportif as artistic director to dress the French team for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. His exhibition is a unique behind-the-scenes insight into this exceptional adventure, combining his passions for sport, fashion, and craft.

Upon the invitation of the villa Noailles, he occupies the house’s gymnasium, offering a 360-degree immersion into his creative system. The room is an idealised transposition of his Parisian studio, a space for free creation where samples of materials, drawings, silhouettes, sounds, and colours gather.

He embarked photographer Paul Rousteau on a collaborative adventure to create a series of sun-kissed images. Draped in blue-white-red, silhouettes embrace the architecture of the modern villa and the Hyeres landscape; muscles, fabric, air and sea merge in the light in a suspended movement. The freedom that is so characteristic of Stéphane Ashpool’s work shines through in this sweet poetry.