SUPERHUIT, a love story around cinema and clothing…
A new kind of concept store has set up shop in the heart of Nancy. Lovers in real life, Camille and Manu met at cinema school. As well as starting their own production company, they founded Superhuit, an ode to the seventh art but especially to the beautiful objects and clothes they are so fond of. We met up with this vibrant couple to ask them a few questions!
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Super 8 is a film format launched in 1965, but also a science fiction movie. I’m guessing both inspired your shop’s name?
Camille: Manu’s the one who came up with the name. For me it’s more the film than the movie, it’s a format that takes me back to my childhood. But it also has that particular feel to it, with its imperfections and warm colours. For two former cinema students, that’s really quite significant!
Manu: As for me, I see it more as an allusion to the New York and Berlin punk cinema scenes that I love so much. The regret of not having lived through the 70s and 80s has a lot to do with it as well. In a more prosaic way, it’s also the street number where we set up shop.
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You sell menswear, womenswear, small objects and even a selection of beautiful books. How do you go about choosing what’s on offer? Is it often a case of instant crushes?
Camille: Indeed, it’s often a question of falling head over heels for the things we wish to sell, whether it be an aesthetic crush or a crush on a designer, adhering to their way of doing things. Authenticity is key. As for the books, we select titles according to our tastes while still keeping in mind that there needs to be a coherence with what’s on offer throughout the shop.
Manu: We like to say that our small shop “dresses, searches, and expresses”. I guess we’re expressing ourselves as well. We like what’s beautiful, meaningful, and alternative cultures. Those cultural objects are there to remind that.
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You set up this shop together, but what were you two up to before Superhuit? When did this adventure all begin?
Camille: We met when we were both studying cinema. Manu wanted to set up his own production company, and we did that together two years later. At the same time, we launched a skate shop with one of our friends, which I ran for thirteen years, until last summer, before we decided to create Superhuit.
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Who looks after what at the shop? How do you go about sharing the tasks?
Camille: We choose the collections together, Manu works at the shop whenever we need a bit of extra help, and the important decisions are taken together. He has another full-time job that is still linked to image within a different structure. As for me, I look after the shop on a daily basis.
Manu: Camille is the heart and soul of the place, for the clients as well as for the brands. She also brings coherence to the concept and highlights it through her discourse. I’m first and foremost a film and creative director within the ZOO agency (the agency that created the shop’s logo). I try to share my images, my experience as an image-maker with the shop, while developing videos for the brands. A few collaborations should see the light before the end of the year for that matter, and give new meaning to Superhuit.
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The shop’s interior has got an industrial, loft feel to it; who’s behind the conception and decoration of it?
Camille: Both Manu and I. The use of steel was obvious to us. We both like raw materials but Manu insisted on there being wood as well in order to balance out the steel’s coldness. We went with white walls so as to reflect the light and showcase the furniture, the clothes and the decorative elements.
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What are you listening to at the shop at the moment?
Camille: Bonobo’s new album, Migration and French 79’s album that came out this fall.
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I heard you really like photography and old cameras, how do you integrate that passion into Superhuit?
Manu: Photo cameras and Super 8 cameras are totally coherent with the idea we have of a concept store turned towards creation and culture. Cameras like the Nikon FM2 or the Polaroid SX70 have made a come back in recent years. Clients, artists or neophytes spread the word and regularly pop by to discover the new stuff we have in store. Until they’re sold, these objects are the finishing touches of our decoration.
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Nancy isn’t that far from the Vosges. Where’s your favourite place to ski and the best spot to have your breath taken away?
Manu: For skiing, Gérardmer or Bresse. For the viewpoint, the Hohneck pass at the border between the Vosges and Alsace.
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