2024.09.13
Aiming to Be the "Most Beautiful Library in the World," Paris's Fashion Specialty Bookstore "Ephemera" Handles Rare, Hard-to-Find Books
This February, a new destination for fashion enthusiasts, "Ephemera," opened in the fashion capital of Paris. This is Paris's first fashion specialty bookstore, featuring a captivating selection focused on rare items.
They offer hard-to-find editions of "The Face" and "i-D," all eight issues of "Six, published by Rei Kawakubo of COMME des GARÇONS, as well as limited publications edited by Alessandro Michele during his tenure at GUCCI. Additionally, the store stocks catalogs, lookbooks, posters, invitations to fashion shows, and rare VHS tapes.
All of these items have been meticulously collected over more than 30 years by founder Pascal Monfort. As the head of the consulting company "REC" in Paris, he has cherished and preserved these valuable documents that tell the story of fashion history.
Why sell his cherished treasures? We had an in-depth conversation with Pascal, who has a deep love for fashion, about the establishment of "Ephemera" and the value it holds in modern magazines and bookstores.
PROFILE
Pascal Monfort
After graduating from a French fashion school, he became a professor specializing in the history and sociology of fashion. He then worked at a major consulting firm and later served as the editor-in-chief of the sports and style magazine published by the French newspaper "L'Équipe." In 2014, he became independent and established the consulting firm "REC," which provides advice to leading companies in the fashion, beauty, and sports sectors. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the company, he opened the bookstore "Ephemera" that specializes in fashion-related books from his personal collection.
Aiming to be the Most Beautiful Library in the World
Can you tell us about what inspired you to open "Ephemera"?
As we were planning an event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of my consulting company REC, I wanted to create something that was enjoyable for many people and related to the central theme of our business, fashion research, rather than a typical party celebration.So, I decided to open the bookstore "Ephemera" for three months, gathering fashion-related materials that I had accumulated over the years. It quickly gained a significant response, and now it operates as a permanent bookstore instead of a temporary one.
The books, magazines, VHS, and posters sold at "Ephemera" are part of your personal collection, aren't they? When did you start collecting, and what was the impetus?
Of the approximately 12,000 items in my collection, about 1,500 are showcased in "Ephemera." I think I started collecting around the age of 11. For me, growing up in a small town in northwest France, magazines were the only gateway to the world of fashion.
This was during the 1980s and 90s, of course, before the internet and social media. The places where I could buy magazines were not curated bookstores but typical French coffee stands where you could stand and drink coffee while buying cigarettes.
At that time, I was into skateboarding, but I was captivated by a fashion magazine I accidentally picked up and started collecting. My skater friends laughed at me for having such a “feminine hobby” as reading fashion magazines, but as my passion for fashion grew, I became completely absorbed in the magazines and books that were my sources of information.
Did you follow that passion to study fashion in school and enter the fashion industry?
I studied fashion history at a fashion school in France and graduated at the top of my class. Soon after, I received a job offer to teach fashion history and sociology. By the age of 24, I was working at several fashion schools across Europe, while continuing my personal research on fashion. Of course, I also kept collecting books and other items.Share Article
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