Just a few weeks ago in early November we hosted the StockXchange Paris exhibition, a curated space open to the public, highlighting the people, stories, and products that shape the cultural landscape into what it is today. We invited cultural creators like Pedro Winter, Ruba Abu-Nimah, Michael Dupouy, Angelo Baque, and Stéphane Ashpool to explore personal and cultural themes through the guidance of lead curator Sarah Andelman of Colette. The 3-day exhibit featured panels, parties, workshops, an exclusive Awake t-shirt drop, and the announcement of our upcoming Air Jordan 1 Colette Charity Campaign.
“The idea of the curators [was] to show the diversity of the products you can find on StockX and we asked the crowd actors of the community to curate our favorite products that you can find on StockX,” explains Sarah Andelman on the ground at StockXchange Paris. “I think it gives a spirit of a community, a culture, and what you can find on StockX.” These diverse voices were able to share their experiences of the culture and speak to the thousands of attendees in Paris, who are just a small representation of the StockX community from around the world.
“The story behind my exhibit is really the story of my life essentially, and my connection to objects and my connection to things,” explains Ruba Abu-Nimah, Creative Director of Revlon. “And we always have this very tortured connection between ourselves and things, and capitalism, and owning things… I wanted to contextualize it, not only to myself, and make it more personal, but also within the context of the world, and how we see objects, and why objects are important to us.”
After expanding service to over 200 countries throughout the world, Paris represents a center of our community, but has always been a center of fashion, luxury, and culture. Paris has the same convergence of elements as we do, offering a unique take. “Paris is the city of fashion and luxury is important too,” says Tyrsa, who helped create the visual identity of the event, including the logos. “I think we have a different vibe than in the US. We still [have] everyone in the same sneakers. We talk about the same sneakers but in the end the way they wear it and the way we dress is pretty different because our identity as European, as French people, we are different just because the fashion industry world is all around us, the luxuries all around us. I believe that it’s different. I won’t say it’s better, it’s not, it’s just it’s a bit different and I can see a vibe that I like.”
The three days of programming included conversations about the dynamism of collaborations, the impact and sustainability of iconic sneakers, and the importance of a visual identity to brands, and attracted contributions in English, French, German, and Italian. “It’s sick ‘cause I’ve seen so many people I know here from Paris, from London, from all over the world,” says Leo Mandella who was in attendance from London. “It seems like StockX brought loads of people in from across the globe to see this event. And there’s raffles going on, there’s panels, it’s like everything.” And while everyone explored these topics this is just the beginning of the conversation.
“A lot of brands speak about community recently, saying something, saying that they’re doing it,” says Stephane Ashpool of Pigalle. “Doing it really, that’s a lot of work to be on the ground. You need to hustle, you need to be there to help the people… But to build up a community, I think they need bridge. They need bridge. [StockX is] a bridge between a product and the consumer. I’m a bridge between a big brand and the street in a way. This is my thematic.”
Whether an exchange is a commerce of ideas, products, or currency, it’s always about bringing people together and sharing what makes them who they are. “I think these products maybe touched us because they have something more than basic products. They have stories. They have the challenge I’m seeing in between. As they became history, really part of the history of creativity,” says Andelman.
As more and more customers use StockX all around the globe, our community and cultural exchange grows. We’ll continue to explore and participate all over the world, meeting our customers where they are. Stay tuned for more activations like the StockXchange Paris, and look out for coming announcements about how you can get your hands on the incredibly limited Colette Friends & Family Jordans this holiday season as a part of the Air Jordan 1 Colette Charity Campaign.
