Avant-garde and sustainability may not be the most obvious of pairings, but Mats Rombaut‘s creative vision is a visionary one that spearheads a path of innovation other brands may follow. Initially trained in business administration and marketing, the young Belgian continued his education in fashion and finally set up his shoe brand Rombaut in 2013. Based in Paris, the brand has carved a niche for itself in fashion-forward circles with its boldly utilitarian sneakers and futuristic heels, all crafted from either plant-based materials, recycled fibres or high-grade artificial leather. Following two recent pop-up stores in the City of Light, Rombaut further raises its profile with a sleek flagship store in the Marais district, an area of town known for its abundance of fashionable boutiques, art galleries and restaurants. The Rombaut store occupies a ground floor unit of an early 19th-century residential building, and sees a Spartan interior design which is very compatible with the forward aesthetics of its collections, notably the 60-metre brushed aluminium walls and semi-polished concrete floors. On a closer look, the eclectic mix of raw industrial materials, polycarbonate panels, industrial steel beams, and last but not least, sections of exposed bricks, also add up to the particular sense of modernity. The premises are dotted with sculptures by French artist duo Julie Villard and Simon Brossard which recall science fiction depictions of humanised furniture and organisms, hinting the fact that the store will also function as a gallery, exhibiting young artists every five to six months to coincide with new collections. The Rombaut flagship store carries a full offering of unisex vegan footwear, accessories and a capsule clothing collection made from recycled polyester.
Rombaut
6 rue de la Corderie (Marais)
75003 Paris
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
