19 July 2024

The small island of Pantelleria, off the coast of Sicily, inspired Jessica Ogden's Round 25 of A.P.C. Quilts. The sun's shadow cast by pergolas, rectangular farm buildings, wooden fences and thick dry-stone walls are all geometric shapes that served as the basis for this Round, which Jessica sums up as follows: "a love letter to this island and to Judith and Jean Touitou, who invited me to reside in the house they own there."

Jean Touitou sums up Pantelleria in one adjective: "Mysterious. There are a lot of break ups and unforeseen events. You arrive via a rather ugly port, and there's no beach. In appearance, it's the opposite of a Mediterranean paradise. The image of a rare black pearl lost in a heap of concrete quickly comes to mind, as a sudden brutal beauty invades you and compels you to stay." Each of the 12 models is named after a village in Pantelleria. "These are amazing-sounding local names, so not Italian for the most part. It's like the planet Mars of the island. I never thought I'd be planting capers on a hill in Nika, or fetching bread in Kama! », says Jean Touitou.

Photographed by Alfredo Piola in the picturesque surroundings of Caracas, the Venezuelan capital he is originally from, which particularly enhance the chromatic palette of the models imagined by Jessica.

The Quilts project was born in 2010 from Jessica Ogden and Jean Touitou's shared interest in patchwork, and a desire to revive the stocks of A.P.C. fabrics accumulated over the seasons. Unique pieces, these quilts in a variety of patterns, sizes and colors reflect the history of the brand and its interactions with other designers.