STRIKE A MATCH: Talk about old money aesthetic.
S.T. Dupont and French brand Casablanca are teaming up for a capsule playing on elegance, sports and antiquity that launches Sept. 16.
Priced between 250 euros and 1,890 euros, it will span lighters, humidors, writing instruments and leather goods, available at S.T. Dupont stores and select Casablanca retail points.
“This was about having fun with Charaf [Tajer, Casablanca’s designer], given our common taste for colors, beautiful things, and of course, cigars,” said Alain Crevet, the chief executive officer of the high-end lighter and writing instruments specialist.
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Cue the two patterns in the collaboration, dubbed “Mosaic” and “Tennis.” The former nods to the colorful architecture of ancient Greece, while the other is a tongue-in-cheek anachronistic depiction of the racquet sport.
A good meal and cigars with Michelin-starred chef Akrame Benallal led the two French labels to one another.
“At one point in the conversation, [Benallal] said he would call his friend Charaf over,” recalled Crevet.
“We do share a love for the good things,” concurred Tajer.
But their first project together wasn’t between their respective brands: it was for the 50th anniversary of the Trinidad cigar brand. Asked to create a lighter for the occasion, Crevet also introduced Tajer, who ended up designing a humidor dressed in a new take on the cigar brand’s logo.
That was only a warm-up for the two French brands.
While collaborations can be counted on one hand for S.T. Dupont, Casablanca felt spot-on. “It was all about this art of living — good food, cigars, the colors of the Mediterranean Sea and even Cuba,” said Crevet.
So the six-year-old label joined a short list that includes a range designed by Karl Lagerfeld in 2008; a short range with The Row; a hookup with Amiri that resulted in a lighter pendant that has since become a permanent reference, and, most recently, a lighter-cum-complication watch with watchmaker Franck Müller.
The brand also created pens and lighters for Saint Laurent at the request of creative director Anthony Vaccarello and is the official provider of writing instruments for the Elysée Palace.
For Tajer, it all came down to expertise and a long-held soft spot to S.T. Dupont lighters.
“My dad used to have [one] but also, for me, it has always been the ultimate symbol of gentlemen, of French elegance,” he recalled. “When I was younger, I was dreaming of having one for myself, even if I didn’t smoke, as a collectible.”
Plus, they have a shared taste for shaking things up.
Take the marker pendant from this collaboration.
“It was a product [S.T. Dupont] was already developing but when I saw it, I thought it was interesting,” Tajer said. To him, it had that age-old practice of getting an autograph from your favorite star — athletes, musicians, you name it — but also had a cool, never-done-yet vibe.
“It’s also a cool thing because Dupont has over 100 years of existence but is still open to doing products like that,” he added.
“Just goes to show a good cigar with nice people of good company can take you far,” said Crevet.
