ER Souliers de Skate + Nixon
French designer Eugène Riconneaus channels the streets and museums of Paris for this new watch collaboration
Footwear designer Eugène Riconneaus got his start in luxury women’s shoes, but his heart was always in the streets. Inspired by skateboarding, subversive street culture and the desire to stay forever young, Riconneaus embarked on a new line of eponymous skateboarding and streetwear gear ER Souliers de Skate. California-based watchmaker Nixon recently tapped the young designer to incorporate his distinct style into the brand’s workhorse model, the Time Teller. The ER Souliers de Skate + Nixon collaboration, draws inspiration from one of Riconneaus’ art projects that has been over six years in the making.
The Palais de Tokyo in Paris played a key role in the development of Riconneaus’ style. The museum is of the city’s centers for contemporary art, and Riconneaus captured the scene outside the Palais over the years, resulting in the photography project “Young Users 2000” presented in partnership with Larry Clark. Taking inspiration from the intersection of high culture and the rawness of urban street culture where skateboarding so precariously rests, Riconneaus set to translating this aesthetic into the container of the Time Teller.
Integrating Parisian luxury and street-inspired style, the watch’s outer is composed of a sandblasted stainless steel case. Meanwhile the band is a nod to the city’s taste for the finer things, with embossed black crocodile leather inside and a stainless steel clasp. The dial features a photograph from “Young Users 2000″ while each case is engraved with “Merci, Au Revoir.”
The collaboration ER Souliers de Skate + Nixon Time Teller (€130) is limited to just 100 pieces that will be carefully seeded in skateboarding and concept stores across France throughout April.
Images courtesy of Nixon
