PARIS — Responsible design, innovation and contemporary art are the focus of the 1.618 Sustainable Luxury trade show that will run from March 29 — April 1 at the newly reopened Cité de la Mode et du Design here at 34 Quai d’Austerlitz.
This is the third edition of the show, which takes its name from the golden mean. It was founded in 2009 but took a hiatus last year so that organizers could revamp its format.
“Our goal was to create an event that would reflect evolution and change in the luxury sector,” said founder Barbara Coignard.
In keeping with the upcoming meeting in Paris of the World Water Council, this year’s edition of 1.618 takes water as its theme and spotlights innovations in tomorrow’s “blue economy” such as Brazil’s Cidade das aguas — Unesco Hidrox, a partner in the show, and the futurist research vessel Sea Orbiter by Jacques Rougerie.
The event’s sponsor is Brazilian entrepreneur and Unesco goodwill ambassador Oskar Metsavaht, founder of the ready-to-wear brand Osklen as well as the non-profit organization Instituo-e. Other fashion and accessories brands present include Valentine Gaultier, Commuun and Ragazze Ornamentali.
“We make a point of selecting artists and brands that back up a true design mentality with integrity all the way down the line,” explained Coignard.
1.618 will showcase a total of 40 brands and companies in design, fashion and accessories, tourism and wellbeing, transport and new technologies. A contemporary art exhibition will feature selected works by ten artists on the theme of water and the environment.