Hasta La Ideas

They’re used to creating magazine and album covers but now Angelique Piliere and Lee Owens (aka illustration duo Revenge Is Sweet) have set up their own luxury silk scarf label called Jour Blanc…

As well as designing a collection of scarves adorned with their graphic illustrations, the duo also created the brand identity, packaging and website. We caught up with Piliere and Owens to find out a little more about the venture…

Creative Review: What led you to start making beautiful silk scarves?

Lee Owens: We’ve always been trying to apply our graphics/illustrations to diverse mediums. We started screen printing posters a couple of years ago, as well as wallpaper and a big mirror for our Pick Me Up show. We’ve actually been wanting to do scarves for a while as we always thought our graphic work could fit well with this medium.

CR: Tell us about the name and the approach to the identity.

Angelique Piliere: Jour Blanc means ‘white day’ in French. This is generally referring to a weather condition where everything is white, the horizon disappears completely and there are no reference points. It is a really strange experience in which all senses of perception are lost. We both liked the poetic meaning to that name and also the more scientific approach, which we explored through the visual identity.

Above: Screengrab from the Jour Blanc website

CR: This is, I’d imagine, an image maker’s dream – to create your own product / brand. Did you get any advice before doing this or did you just decide to do it? How did you find a manufacturer to work with?

AP: Yes, it’s something we’re really excited about and no, we didn’t get any advice about the project, we just decided to try making some beautiful scarves and see what would happen. In terms of finding a manufacturer, Lyon has been renowned for silk manufacturing for a very long time, since the 16th century, in fact. I am from Lyon so it made sense to get the scarves produced there.

CR: How many different designs are there in your debut collection?

LO: At the moment there are five scarves in the collection, but we’re already thinking of new designs for a future collection.

CR: You also art directed a photographic campaign for the launch of the first collection, tell us about that.

AP: The photographer, Fred Mortagne, is a friend of ours so the shoot took place at his house in Lyon, France, the city where all the scarves are made. Funnily enough, the house used to be a silk workshop many years ago. We wanted the photographs to reflect the idea of being in a white/ foggy environment but we also wanted to be a bit abstract using the colours from the scarves to create various textures and layers.

See more at jour-blanc.com

And to see more of Revenge is Sweet’s illustration work, visit breedlondon.com.

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The March issue of CR magazine celebrates 150 years of the London Underground. In it we introduce a new book by Mark Ovenden, which is the first study of all aspects of the tube’s design evolution; we ask Harry Beck authority, Ken Garland, what he makes of a new tube map concept by Mark Noad; we investigate the enduring appeal of Edward Johnston’s eponymous typeface; Michael Evamy reports on the design story of world-famous roundel; we look at the London Transport Museum’s new exhibition of 150 key posters from its archive; we explore the rich history of platform art, and also the Underground’s communications and advertising, past and present. Plus, we talk to London Transport Museum’s head of trading about TfL’s approach to brand licensing and merchandising. In Crit, Rick Poynor reviews Branding Terror, a book about terrorist logos, while Paul Belford looks at how a 1980 ad managed to do away with everything bar a product demo. Finally, Daniel Benneworth-Grey reflects on the merits on working home alone. Buy your copy here.

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