HOOP FOR JOY: For 3.Paradis’ founder Emeric Tchatchoua, the wins just keep coming.
His 11-year-old label scooped up the Special Prize at this year’s ANDAM Prize and had its on-schedule debut during June’s Paris Fashion Week. Now it is also dropping a capsule with official NBA license holder Mitchell & Ness on Monday.
That’ll also mark the French brand’s first pop-up in Paris, a move that prefigures bigger projects starting in the fall, he told WWD.
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And if that weren’t enough, the headliner for the collaboration‘s campaign is none other than American rapper Fabolous, whom the Paris-based designer credits for inspiring his path in fashion.
“It’s a dream come true,” he said. “When I was young I started wearing basketball jerseys because [of him]. I think he is one of the people who had the most influence on me and was really a huge reference with his personality and so on. Thanks to him, I started wearing sneakers and, in fact, just dressing like him.”
So when Mitchell & Ness came calling around a year ago looking for a French brand with international presence and a taste for the game, Tchatchoua didn’t need to be asked twice.
“It was something I really wore and [Mitchell & Ness] have all the jerseys for the legends from Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, to Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing,” he enthused. “Basketball has had a huge impact on my identity so I really want to celebrate these people who inspired me, this idea of transcendence, of excellence and being oneself.”
The result coming Monday is a six-piece lineup that spans T-shirts, jerseys, shorts and an NBA varsity jacket. There are two colorways — silver and black — and prices range from 70 euros for a T up to 500 euros for the jacket.
Tchatchoua was adamant to keep the pricing “sportswear and accessible,” to express the democratic side of sports. “It was a way for me to celebrate with everyone, without having an entry barrier for people who are interested in the NBA or in 3.Paradis.”
With the Olympic Games turning Paris into an open-air paean to sports and fashion, the American brand felt it was “the ideal time to commemorate the resilience, self-transcendence, and pursuit of excellence inherent in sports,” said Damon Briggs, vice president, international of Mitchell & Ness. “This collaboration not only honors the tradition of athletic achievement but also celebrates the transformative power of sport in inspiring individuals and communities worldwide.”
So Tchatchoua wanted a place to express this: an immersive 1,200-square-foot pop-up at 23 Rue Charlot, open from Tuesday to Aug. 4.
“It’s a mix between a blue sky, surrealism and a basketball court,” hinted the designer, promising a program of matches as well as a panel talk to explore the connection between fashion and sports, basketball in particular.
“It’ll be a place of celebration where all our communities and even tourists can come, discover our universe and appropriate a piece of the collection if they want.”
