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FACE TO FACE: MOLESKINE
PUTTiNG PEN TO PAPER Moleskine’s new creative flagship store at Battersea Power Station is a blueprint of how the leading stationery brand plans to approach retailing in the future; with the physical experience at the heart of the store. PG caught up with Christophe Archaimbault, ceo of Moleskine, at the official opening where he spoke about the future of retail and the brand’s mission to inspire creativity in the modern world. Left: The new creative flagship store at Battersea Power Station.
When the doors opened to Moleskine’s creative flagship at London’s Battersea Power Station recently, it was clear that the company was up for doing things differently. For Christophe Archaimbault, who became ceo of Moleskine in March last year, the store is the clearest expression yet of what the brand stands for. “This new concept store is a real shift in the way we do retail,” Christophe told PG. “Moleskine is a notebook, yes, but what actually matters most is what you put in it. What you use it for. We want to give people the space to unleash their creativity.” Right: Christophe Archaimbault with PG writer, Michelle Urquhart. Below: Central to the new Battersea store is a workshop table that allows visitors to sit and write, draw, paint or doodle.
It takes only a few steps inside the Battersea store to understand what he means. A central workshop table - evocative of an art atelier or a writer’s desk - invites people to sit and sketch, paint, draw, write, read and exchange inspiration and ideas in a creative way. Stocked with notebooks, pencils, pens and even watercolours, it encourages passers-by to pause, sketch, jot or experiment. “The design was inspired by the Moleskine invitation to ‘put pen to paper’,” Christophe explains. “We’ve put the creative experience at the centre. The table is there for people to sketch, paint, draw, write, read and get inspired.” The walls continue the theme, with panels made of open notebooks where visitors are encouraged to leave a mark of their own. The result is a store that functions as a gallery of ever-evolving creativity. “Of course we want to sell products,” Christophe says with a smile, “but that almost feels secondary to the design of this space.” For Christophe, Battersea is more than a retail redesign: it is a template for the future of the brand’s physical presence. “This flagship represents the best
MOLESKiNE X BLACKPINK Moleskine has recently teamed up with global K-pop powerhouse BLACKPINK for a limitededition collection that celebrates creativity, individuality, and self-discovery. The Moleskine x BLACKPINK blends Moleskine’s timeless craftsmanship with BLACKPINK’s bold aesthetic, encouraging fans to explore every side of themselves, whether they’re writing, sketching, or dreaming big. “This was a really exciting collaboration for us to work on,” says Christophe. “BLACKPINK approached us wanting to do a collaboration and we worked closely together on the content for the Life Planner, which is a guided journal to help you stay mindful, inspired and in tune with your goals.” Below: K-pop sensation, BLACKPINK approached Moleskine to do a collaboration.
of Moleskine and will be a blueprint for how we want to do retail,” he says. “It has the right audience, the right location, and the right product.” But customers won’t just browse here, they’ll participate, with regular drop-in workshops TPROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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