Drawing upon a decade-long friendship and creative partnership, interior architect and designer Pierre Yovanovitch has teamed up with designer Christian Louboutin to craft a collection of "Clam" chairs inspired by iconic women.

This collaborative project between the two French designers features nine limited-edition seats, each adorned with Louboutin's signature red sole. Every piece tells a unique story, embodying the essence of strong, allegorical female figures. Among them, you'll find the ancient Egyptian queen Nefertari, symbolizing royalty with gilded bronze heels; Queen Zenobia, represented by a band of turquoise stones; the 1920s dancer Josephine Baker, inspiring seats embroidered with leather fringes; and the burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese, highlighted by silver heels embroidered with sequins. In homage to Christian Louboutin's famed Nudes collection, this collaboration also includes an open-edition "Simply Nude" series, featuring five feminine-inspired silhouettes.

To bring this imaginative ode to feminine beauty to life, Pierre Yovanovitch enlisted top-tier French artisans. Embroideries were crafted by Broderies Vermont, Maison Lesage, and Atelier Montex; art foundry work by Solyfonte; metalwork by Alm Deco; leatherwork by Audrey Ludwig and fabric painting by Christophe Martin. The oak frames were machined by Hugo Delavelle, with bases crafted by Christian Louboutin’s historic shoemaking workshop Minuit Moins 7. Our installers also had the honor of working on this project, creating contemporary padding with foam and covering all seats in our Lyon ateliers.

“Each chair stood out for its specific challenges, whether related to textile painting, leatherwork, or embroidery. We began by working on the leather versions, a first for us with this model. The quality of the hides sent by Tannerie Remy Carriat was exceptional. Christophe Martin, an artist, painted on canvas, which was more rigid and harder to cover with the supple foam. We had to revise and adapt our manufacturing processes. As for the pieces embroidered by Lesage, the challenge was to perfectly align the embroidery between the backrest and the seat. However, we were all proud to be part of this magnificent project. With each new delivery, we excitedly wondered what marvel we would discover next. Each of us was eager to see the final result, and every artisan was enthusiastic about contributing to this collection!” shares Manon, Leader of the Micro-Edition team.

The collection was unveiled last May at Pierre Yovanovitch's first American gallery in Chelsea, New York City's iconic neighborhood. It is now exclusively available through Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier teams.

For more information, please visit pierreyovanovitch.com.

Photos : © Eric Petschek | © Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt | © Alessio Boni