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I had the “aha” moment when reading that first line of the prologue from I love you too much: a really nice coming-of-age story. One single sentence made me ask the question: “why are we so overstimulated by perfection and stipulated ‘coolness’?” It’s tiring, certainly frustrating, and it annoyingly reminded me how lonely and creatively lost I was feeling in that moment. *

*N.B. This comes from a justified and expected minor mental breakdown in April 2020**

**First Covid-19 lockdown***

***Anyone feeling some sort of “I was there too”?

It just made me go back to our root-thoughts for DÉPARTEMENT VII, and how we wanted it to be a shelter space for when you feel the world has turned out to be too judgmental, label-centric and intense to handle.

Art, beauty and avant-garde perception and appreciation come in many forms and façades. One can find charm and artistry in Tracey Emin’s unmade bed, whilst others may find it simply ridiculous and nonsensical. Mark Rothko’s Orange, Red, Yellow can awaken intimacy and magic in some and pure boredom in others. Is 21st century Balenciaga the epitome of reinvention and state-of-the-art trend, or a straight sacrilege to fashion heritage?

No notion is better, cooler, more superior, more sophisticated, or less boring than the other. Somehow, we’ve built this assumption that certain behaviours, taste inclinations, cultural references and aesthetics are to be considered more riveting than others. We forget creative power can also be found in the lack of adornment, in the least pretentious of moments, in a bottle of beer or a glass of wine surrounded by your friends’ laughter, in everyday conversations, in life’s little brainstorming flashes.

This is the reason reason why we wanted to build our (and your) place, free of creative judgement and filled with pure and simple doses of cosy, charismatic and engaging inspiration.

Stop, breathe, rewind. Read, watch, enjoy.

Welcome home. Welcome to