Events
DS X METIERS D’ART 2021
A design contest for professional artists.
On 12 April 2021, DS Automobiles launched a design contest especially for the best craftspeople in French art based in France. The challenge was the design of a unique interior trim for DS 9.
Ambassador of French expertise, DS Automobiles was part of this innovative initiative to strengthen its ties with the best French craftspeople. Appealing to the power of innovation within professional artists through a technical and aesthetic challenge enabled DS Automobiles to deepen the creative and innovative bond with these established or emerging professionals from the art world’s creative scene.
“DS Automobiles has always collaborated with remarkable craftspeople for the design of its models. From bodywork to cockpit, via upholstery, we constantly target innovation, excellence, and attention to detail. In a world where professional artists most often remain in the shadow of their sponsors, DS Automobiles wants to highlight them and support them through a unique collaboration, in the shape of a competition. Lison de Caunes, Cécile Feilchenfelt, Maison Lemarié and Anna LeCorno were the first to bring their expertise to the DS creative ideas challenge. The winner will be added to this prestigious list.”
Thierry Metroz, DS Automobiles Design Director
“DS Automobiles has always collaborated with remarkable craftspeople for the design of its models. From bodywork to cockpit, via upholstery, we constantly target innovation, excellence, and attention to detail…”
This contest was created in partnership with Studio Métiers Rares, the leading consultancy specialising in the promotion of crafts and founding sponsor of the The Craft Project media.
DS x METIERS D’ART competition was made up of 4 stages.
To begin with, the candidates register an account. An internal committee nominated 10 entrants who had to produce samples with an allotted budget. The 3 finalists selected by a jury then created a piece of trim for a DS 9 door panel. Anne Lopez was the winner of the competition and designed a unique interior trim for DS 9, using an allocated budget.
10 craftspeople were shortlisted and accompanied by the DS Automobiles design teams to produce their samples.
Anne Leroux, Maison Pavane
Anne Lopez, General creative
Studio Laura Leblanc, Textile design
Studio Martin Berger, Movement-Light-Emotion
Charlotte Kaufmann, Textile design
Dimitri Hlinka and Nicolas Pinon
Jean-Baptiste Saint-Criq, Cercus marquetry
Line and Raphaël, Print me a sheep
Paulina Okurowska, Contemporary mosaics
Stéphanie Lacoste, Textile curiosity
Pascal Morand, Executive president of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode
”DS x MÉTIERS D’ART is a time for sharing. In what’s been shown, there’s a desire for techno-creative innovation. French creativity is dear to my heart. It’s important for the culture and the economy of this country. This creativity conveys a tradition and an aesthetic, in harmony with our own identity, all while being open to the world. It is an element of development and competitiveness.”
The jury comprised 7 members, including influential people in the fields of Art and Creation.
Pascal Morand, executive president of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode
Lison de Caunes, Master of art in straw marquetry
Hubert Barrère, Artistic director of Maison Lesage and corset maker
Anna Le Corno, Cabinet maker and creative at the studio Farouche Paris
Béatrice Foucher, DS Automobiles CEO
Thierry Metroz, DS Automobiles Design Director
Jean-Philippe Vanhulle, DS Automobiles Head of the upholstery studio
DS x MÉTIERS D’ART first winner Anne Lopez recreates DS 9 trim
Anne Lopez seduced the jury with a stucco finished interior trim that catches the light. Jean-Baptiste Saint-Criq (Cercus marquetry), received the 2nd prize for his staw marquetry trim, featuring graphic and luminous patterns. Dimitri Hlinka and Nicolas Pinon received the 3rd prize, for their slate and vegetable lacquer trim.
Designer Anne Lopez was able to demonstrate her expertise by producing the interior trim for a unique DS 9: DS 9 MÉTIERS D’ART. She relied on craftspeople’s techniques to create the trim away from the car. She draws inspiration especially from movement and the effect of the wind on nature. A graduate in Fine Art from Paris and the École d’Art Mural Versailles, she has already seen her work shown in Europe, America and Asia.
DS 9 MÉTIERS D’ART introduces a stucco finished interior trim. The coating is etched by the artist then it dries gradually. The movement given to elements is supported by the interplay of colours with areas that catch the light, particularly through gilding, against others in shadow.
Anne Lopez, winner of DS x MÉTIERS D’ART
“I found it surprising and very innovative that a luxury car brand like DS Automobiles called on professional artists to work on the interior trim of a car. From the first stage, I fell for the shape of the part I was working with, I imagined it as a wing. My objective was to communicate the shape with the material that I was going to apply. I imagined a kind of plumage of a creature that was a hybrid between a bird and reptile, between feather and scale. The discussions with the jury were very instructive. We were pushed to go further still and I’m happy and proud to have been picked as the winner.”
”Anne Lopez created an extremely powerful design with a great deal of sophistication and elegance. I loved her way of bringing movement to her work and catching the light. There is a character that fits perfectly with the spirit of DS 9’s interior and has a really stunning impact when you see the cockpit of DS 9 MÉTIERS D’ART.”
Thierry Metroz, DS Automobiles Design Director
