The idea is as banal as it is ingenious. The company Club Couleur, founded in June 2021, offers all kinds of products that have one thing in common: they have the same color. This is how dough scrapers, egg cups, bath slippers, washing machines, outdoor jackets, toothpaste, Sellotape or bicycle lights come together. On the shelf in front of the wall painted in the respective color, even this rather eclectic assortment looks organized and good thanks to this condition.
"We are the best-stocked general shop," is how Thomas Cohen describes his new project, behind which, of course, there are a few more ideas than just sorting colors. The selection of objects that make it into the shops and the e-shop of Club Couleur is well-considered and also follows sustainable aspects. Many are "Made in France," other objects come from real traditional companies, such as the sweeping brushes by André Jardin or the hand cream made from natural ingredients by Suavina. Both are companies that have been around for over a century. Cohen says, "Our selection is hand-picked. Our suppliers are dedicated and follow ethical principles. It's not just about the right color, it has to be good for the planet."
Irène and Thomas Cohen, founders, Club Couleur
Fruit of the Loom is also one of these companies with a history that has been selected. The American clothing manufacturer has even entered into a special partnership with Club Couleur: In consultation with the Parisians, the company exclusively produces the special color shades for T-shirts, jumpers or sweatpants that are offered in the range. Some other textile products have been recolored to fit the concept. This is the case, for example, with the bathing slippers. They are dyed in France according to a special recipe of bicarbonate, salt and water in the Teinturerie Bonnin, about 400 kilometers away from Paris, south of Nantes.
Club Couleur's collab with Fruit of the Loom
Club Couleur was launched with five colors: Basic in Pink, Caramelito, Coup de Soleil, Rose Baiser and Les Mots Bleus. Since then, new shades have been added every two months. Every now and then, colors are exchanged. Cohen says, "We don't have seasons, but we have new chromatic obsessions. When a new color comes in, another one has to go. We think with ten colors we currently offer, everyone will find their happiness." For each color, around 50 to 80 products are offered in that shade. When it comes to naming colors, Club Couleur is very inventive: Red Lipstick, Orange Spritz, Mulled Wine, Purple Rain or Fade to Grey reflect the joy the team has in finding and choosing colors. The fact that there is a very personal commitment behind the crazy retail idea can also be seen in the lovingly designed e-shop, where every product, no matter how small, has a note saying why it is liked, "pourquoi on l'aime.”
Lady in Red by Club Couleur
Irène and Thomas Cohen came up with the funny idea of launching a shop sorted by color after selling their previous project, the children's fashion label Bonton. Thomas comes from an entrepreneurial family that has always had a sense for novel business ideas: his parents launched the children's brand Bonpoint in the 1970s with the ideas of dressing children like children rather than adults. When the parents sold the company in the early 2000s, they invested the proceeds in the retail concept "Merci,” a shop that made no profit because the earnings went to social projects. At the same time, Thomas followed in his parents' footsteps and launched the very trendy children's label Bonton with his wife Irène. The shop became a retail hotspot for families in Paris and, thanks to its success, soon embarked on international expansion. Today, there are around 100 Bonton shops worldwide.
Club Couleur's Marais store in the center of Paris
Their new project Club Couleur could take a similar development. The small (80-sq.-meter) pop-up in the Marais district at 48 rue Sainte Croix de la Bretonnerie became permanent in mid-November 2021. There are already pop-ups in the two important and highly publicized department stores in Paris, Galeries Lafayettes and Le Bon Marché. One of them is under the option of becoming a permanent shop-in-shop. Because the idea and the very decorative palette of beautiful things meets the current zeitgeist. As it says on the website: "We produce nothing, but explain everything."
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