Earlier this month, Kris Van Assche, former artistic director of Dior Homme and Berluti, unveiled his first artistic design project: NECTAR VESSELS BRONZES with Laffanour | Galerie Downtown. Set within an immersive, forest-like scenography, the show features a poetic series of bronze vase-sculptures that blur the lines between design and sculpture.

The collection comprises 14 pieces, based on seven distinct shapes in two color variants, each produced in editions of eight. The project is the result of two years of close collaboration with gallerist François Laffanour, who gave Van Assche creative freedom. The choice to work with bronze, suggested by Laffanour, led the fashion designer into uncharted territory.

NECTAR VESSELS BRONZES continues Van Assche’s ongoing dialogue with Laffanour | Galerie Downtown, following earlier collaborations around Isamu Noguchi’s “Akari” lamps in 2017 and Pierre Jeanneret furniture in 2019, both bridging fashion and design.

Crafted in partnership with the Fodor foundry in Port-sur-Saône, the vases reflect Van Assche’s fashion sensibility: a respect for craftsmanship, a focus on process, and a deep collaboration with artisans. Their matte, powdery lacquered exteriors contrast with luminous interiors, where polished rose-gold bronze catches the light. The effect is magnetic, drawing the eye inward like a bee to nectar.

These enigmatic vessels invert the traditional role of the vase. “I’ve created vases that don’t need flowers,” says Van Assche. “These vases become the flowers themselves.” Their sculptural forms and glowing hollows transform them into objects of desire and contemplation—floral in spirit, yet powerful in presence.

The exhibition boldly reimagines bronze, rejecting conventional patinas in favor of vibrant, contemporary finishes in a forest-like environment. It’s a must-see this season if you’re in Paris.

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