Few cultures love a great brand as much as Italy and France, and they meet this month in Paris, when K-Way, a French label owned and loved by Italians, unveils “In Y/Our Life”, the latest iteration of a unique brand-meets-art celebration.

Devised as a “lyrical celebration of the hidden poetry in everyday life,” In Y/Our Life also celebrates the 60th anniversary of K-Way, a Parisian label controlled today by a Piedmontese group. In Y/Our Life is also a rare blend of internationally renowned artists, designers, and illustrators reinterpreting everyday objects and materials; to reimagine them as novel works of art.
 
Originally staged in Milan in February, the debut In Y/Our Life included drawing, sculpture, painting, installation, video, and performance art. A second edition in the UK was staged in May in Somerset House, during Photo London.  The Paris edition will be staged in the historic Atelier Richelieu from October 23 to 26, timed to coincide with Art Basel Paris Week. All three featured notable marques like Bic, Bialetti, Borotalco, Borsalino, Chupa Chups, Moleskine, Moon Boot, Polaroid, Pongo, Post-it Brand, Rollerblade and Scotch Brand.
 

Among the art-meets-brand dialogues in Paris will be “Sweet Torture”, an artistic installation by Olimpia Zagnoli, in collaboration with Chupa Chups, creating a fantastical beach hut with interior walls embedded with 9,000 of the brand’s lollipops. There is also a musical moment: a cappella performance by Linda Messerklinger, paying tribute to Maurice Ravel’s “Boléro” on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of his birth.

Plus, two new artistic additions, German artist Nadine Fecht will present drawings created using hundreds of Bic pens, transforming this everyday object into an artistic medium. Also featured will be a tribute to renowned street artist Daniel Baugeste, who in the 1980s brought giant K-Way posters to China and staged a spectacular series of public interventions on the Great Wall.
 

 
In a multi-brand meeting, visitors are also invited to share their personal K-Way memories by writing on Moleskine shelves with Bic pens and fixing them with Scotch tape.

And noted indie retailer Sarah Andelman, formerly of Colette, will oversee a special installation by Anrealage, by Japanese designer Kunihiko Morinaga that will feature LED interventions.

FashionNetwork.com caught up with K-Way CEO Lorenzo Boglione for his take on the latest In Y/Our Life. K-Way is the largest brand within BasicNet, which includes Superga and Kappa, which collectively scored annual sales of €409 million in fiscal 2024.

 
Fashion Network: What’s the reason you created this concept?
Lorenzo Boglione: We wanted to celebrate our 60th anniversary and started brainstorming. What we could do that gave some value to people who came to the birthday?

We wanted more than a party. Something  cool and fun that fits culturally. To share the energy, heritage and history of a unique brand. So, we thought let’s join forces with brands that have similar values.

That share the same iconicity, in a story telling experience.  And, we thought, not just brands. Let’s add artists to this already chaotic situation. Asking them to interpret what these brands represent and why they are in a dictionary. 
 
FN: Why are you opening in Paris?
LB:Well, our first edition in Milan had overwhelming interest! So, this spring we went to Photo London, where the brand is less known. But Photo London is very big. A lot of people came and were curious about the brand. The UK is a new market for us. And we believe that interest in the brand will inspire sales in the future as we develop there.
 
FN: What do you plan to do differently in Paris?
LB: We added two very interesting new artists Nadine Fecht and Daniel Baugeste. Unlike in Milan, there will be no fashion show connected. But there will be a few cooks available, together. And there is a Café K-Way, an ode to Parisian cafés, hosted and curated by Momus, giving a different edge every time to In Y/Our Life.
 
FN: What does the concept say about Italy or Europe today?
LB: There was no geographic limitation. We just want to celebrate brands that go beyond time and space that really are part of our life. Hence the name. Our idea was to make people value brands that are in their lives. It’s also about engaging more people with K-Way in future by working on their feelings and cultural antenna rather than pure commercial instinct.