VIDEO. The creator Michel Klein opens the doors of his shop to us in Lectoure: “A brothel of love”

“Here, it’s a brothel of love”, this is how Michel Klein, a designer, defines his Lectouroise boutique: Klin d’œil, located at 66 rue Nationale. Above all, the Parisian does not want to hear about “commerce”, his pop-up store or ephemeral shop is “a meeting place, where you share and have fun”.

“A free electron”

“Be present in the shop from 10:00 to 19:00, rather die”: those who characterize themselves as a “free spirit” simply want to have fun. Seven years ago, Michel Klein strolled through the streets of Lectoure with his friend Mademoiselle Agnès. “I saw all the businesses closed, so I told him we should set up shop here, first as a joke,” he confides.

And then, a few years later, he meets Pascale Bresson Pitras, owner of two antique shops, including Peau d’Ane and the one where he now exhibits Michel Klein. “I immediately accepted his proposal to make this place an atypical and different place with works that we would look for and which would then be personalized with Michel’s hands”, explains Pascale Bresson Pitras.

In this small shop, Michel Klein exhibits his creations: masks, furniture, bags, etc. “In the town of Lectoure there are many offers concerning antiques, but there I wanted to offer something totally different, something that resembled a decoration magazine,” Michel Klein points out.

In this pop-up shop, visitors can discover themes that change throughout the season. First it was “Cocteau meets Steinberg” (black and white), now it’s “Bloomsbury” (festive and colorful) and soon the shop will be adorned around the “Riviera” (French Riviera, Palm Beach and Palm Springs)

Yves Saint-Laurent, Barbara, Maud Frizon…

Michel Klein grew up in Paris to psychoanalyst parents: “I was surrounded by artists, I had a free and mixed upbringing. Around me there were many people who worked in fashion. I liked it, I was looking for a free lifestyle where I could improvise, drink, smoke and have fun”, confides the Parisian designer, who is also the godson of the French icon Barbara.

His first experiences in a fashion house were, when he was just fifteen, alongside Yves Saint-Laurent, to whom he presented designs for prints, then for Maud Frizon and Dorothée Bis. “I love fashion but I’m not obsessed with it, I like to do what I like without asking myself questions. Above all, I didn’t want to be locked up in boxes, so I’m happy to have this shop where I have total freedom and creativity,” explains Michel Klein.

In love with this “sublime region”, Michel Klein recently put down his bags in Montgaillard, a small village of 140 souls, located in the Tarn-et-Garonne, a stone’s throw from the Gers: “It is a very beautiful area but unfortunately the village has no commercial activities. I find a city without a café sad, so I would like to open one soon”, confides Michel Klein who is happy to have convinced the mayor, Sébastien Louart, to organize a flea market in Montgaillard, to be held next August 14th.