FASHION

CRASH INTERVIEW WITH MAUD BARRIONUEVO, GLOBAL BUYING & MARKETPLACE DIRECTOR OF 24S

By Iris JEANSON

In the light of Paris 2024, where luxury fashion merges with urban athleticism, 24S, the online shopping experience, unveils its latest story: the « Parisian Playground » capsule. Partnering for the sixth consecutive year with the prestigious LVMH Prize, 24S introduces an exclusive collection designed by three of the 2023 laureates : Setchu’s designer Satoshi Kuwata, Bettter’s designer Julie Pelipas and Magliano’s designer Luca Magliano. Launched in early May, this collaboration redefines contemporary fashion with avant-garde designs and gender-neutral silhouettes, reflecting the vibrant spirit of Parisian streets. Find out more about this capsule in the interview of the Global Buying & Marketplace Director of 24S, Maud Barrionuevo…

Can you describe in a few words what is 24S and what is your role in it?

24S is the luxury and fashion e-commerce reference for Parisian elegance. Part of the LVMH group, the platform was launched in 2017 and benefits from an international reach with a website and iOS app in 6 languages, express delivery to over 100 countries and a range of five-star services.

My role as Global Buying & Marketplace Director is to build the offer available on 24S and offer to our customers around the world a selection of luxury houses and contemporary designers in line with Parisian style. My team of buyers and I have a real curation mission on a daily basis to put together the wardrobe that will enable our customers to adopt this iconic style and master its codes.

Paris is an incredible fashion playground from which we draw inspiration for an effortless chic style that can be reinvented ad infinitum: it’s a vision of playful fashion where timeless and more cutting-edge mix & match pieces.

At 24S, our customers will find exclusive collections from the must-have fashion houses as well as the trending emerging talents, for a refined Parisian elegance and irreverent nonchalance.

In light of the « Parisian Playground » capsule collection collaboration with the Prix LVMH winners, how do such partnerships contribute to 24S’s brand narrative and customer engagement strategy? 

Our mission is also to help our customers discover new designers and especially emerging talent. Our collaborations with the winners of the LVMH Prize are an opportunity to offer them previews of unique pieces, available exclusively on 24S. These are more specialized offerings that also allow us to appeal to a public of connoisseurs who are keen to discover new talent. Our Parisian DNA remains the common theme of these collaborations: we choose the designers with whom we collaborate (Nensi Dojaka in 2022, Tokyo James in 2023) and invite them to come up with a collection that embodies their vision of the Parisian way of life. We have been supporting the LVMH Prize finalists for 6 years now through exclusive capsule collections. It’s a way of helping them develop their own brand and giving them 360° international visibility.

The « Parisian Playground » collection blends avant-garde and luxury activewear in an urban setting. How does this align with 24S’s vision and the preferences of your clientele? 

The collection draws its inspiration from the daily lives of busy Parisians. By collaborating with the 3 finalists of the LVMH Prize, we wanted to offer several interpretations of the mix of sportswear and tailoring. This capsule is a tribute to the many Parisians we meet on the streets of Paris and who inspire us. We hope that these looks will in turn inspire our international customers.

Why did you choose the name « Parisian Playground”, what does it represent to you?

In this year of Parisian celebrations of sport, 24S wanted to tell a story of fashion in motion. Two women and a man are the protagonists: the elegant and racy Bettter woman, the more romantic Setchu woman, and the resolutely alternative Magliano man. Their hybrid silhouettes, somewhere between activewear and tailoring, leave the sports field for an urban playground in a ballet of distortions and metamorphoses where the racing lines meet those of the Parisian street. In this immersive story, 24S bridges the gap between the boundless creativity of young fashion talent and the fascination of the disconcerting allure of the Parisian woman in a hurry.

Can you discuss the significance of upcycling and sustainability, and how it factors into 24S’s selection process? 

The issues of recycling and sustainability have become unavoidable and essential to the future of our industry. Of course we want fashion to be more ethical and respectful of the environment, which is why we are increasingly attentive to designers’ production processes and the sourcing of materials for the products we select. For example, Julie Pelipas, who created the Bettter label, is very committed and made the exclusive 24S look from deadstock. Although initiatives like Bettter are multiplying and raising awareness, there is still a long way to go and all the players in our industry need to be involved.

Looking ahead, what trends do you anticipate shaping the luxury fashion industry, and how is 24S positioning itself to adapt to these changes?

I think we’re going to see a rise in power and a concentration of certain major players in the luxury ecosystem: an ever-greater influence of established brands that are deploying colossal resources to communicate, following the example of Pharrell Williams’ fashion shows at Vuitton or partnerships with stars who have a huge following on social networks.

The trend that we are already seeing within a number of companies and groups, and which is likely to increase, is the deployment of a lifestyle universe, of which fashion is only one aspect. As the Americans would say, brands are ‘destinations’ that attract and retain an audience through their creativity, innovation, authenticity and way of communicating.

At the same time, we are seeing the emergence of young start-ups that offer a unique product and speak directly to consumers with a very strong and committed experiential message, such as Jacquemus or Marine Serre.

We’re keeping an eye on all these initiatives to give them a voice and as much visibility as possible on the website…

Discover 24S « Parisian Playground » campaign on Crash.

www.24s.com

24S Parisian Playground » capsule campaign