Jordan Brand Unveils District 23 in the heart of Barbès
by Anna Barr
Set in the former historic building of Tati Barbès, District 23 is not just a building, it’s a series of activations running for six weeks throughout the summer dedicated to basketball, and culture, and open to all. In addition to the café, a curated bookstore meant to inspire and spark intrigue, a pop-up shop, and an art gallery, Jordan Brand will be hosting an immersive “summer school” for sports enthusiasts and young creatives that will see them step into the atelier and make some of their own creations while the popup will give others a chance to explore their creativity with customization opportunities. Sneaker enthusiasts and basketball fans can also drop into the area’s first Foot Locker x Jordan store just down the street for the brand’s latest innovations.
Youssouf Fofana
District 23 Creative Director Youssouf Fofana, founder of label Maison Château Rouge, has not only curated the space but also put together the programming. Youssouf along with Maison Château Rouge hails from the neighborhood and has put fashion on the map there along with the Marché Saint Pierre known as the fabric market in the fashion capital. The collaboration with Jordan goes beyond their iconic Jordan 1 Mid SE Fearless Maison Château Rouge but unfolds into a cultural one too, not only will they be bringing the community together but sharing it with the rest of the world during the Olympics.
“For the Olympics, it is hard for the youth to have access to the games, so we need to give an alternative, not just a sports alternative, but cultural and international experience with this hub. We will be activating a lot of tournaments like basketball and football in local clubs throughout the 18th arrondissement along with training spaces for the kids. For us we work on the synthesis of programming, it is more than just a building. Culture and sport are part of the Jordan DNA and Château Rouge. District 23 is highlighting what this neighborhood does and is giving us a global reach to showcase.” – District 23 Creative Director Youssouf Fofana explained to us.
The ground floor acts as a gathering place to experiment and question our relationship to art by exploring the issues that drive social life. For our food palette, District 23 highlights the gastronomy of the 18th through different recipes, restaurants, and food collectives that elevate cultural traditions. Mam’ayoka, AKA mothers of the 18th, is one of those collectives who will be serving up crowd favorites along with emerging chefs who will share recipes through a Parisian lens. On the second floor you can find the Diaspora Renaissance where Youssouf along with Jordan Brand Family Member Easy Otabor, owner of the Anthony Gallery, the two co-curated the exhibition featuring 23 artists including works from Gabriel Moses, Alvin Armstrong, and Maty Biayenda. Meanwhile, six artists were commissioned to interpret through a diasporic lens what the AJ1 means to culture.
“This is a populaire (working-class) neighborhood in Paris, usually when an established artist showcases a piece of work we have to go to Art Paris, FIAC, Basel etc., to see it, you might not get the chance to go as a kid here, but it is important to know the art process. The idea with our curated art space is to have the same established artists accessible to the youth. In our selection, we chose artists that come from similar neighborhoods from around the world. Barbès, Goutte-d’Or, Château Rouge, this is our neighborhood, but there are similar ones found in cities around the world.” – Youssouf said giving us a tour of the art space.
District 23 is set to inspire future creatives and bring the love of the game home, no matter where you call home in the world.
Images curtsey of Jordan Brand
District 23
4 boulevard Marguerite de Rochechouart, 75018 Paris
Tuesday-Sunday
12-20h
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