Odile Hainaut - Founder of WantedDesign
Tell us about yourself, where you are from?
I like to introduce myself as a French New Yorker. It is really how I feel! Originally from Paris, I moved 17 years ago to New York with Laurent, my husband, and our 2 kids, 2 and 4 at that time. We came to build the NY office of the Branding/Packaging company he founded in Paris. We didn’t know really for how long we will stay there, we thought a few years… Our third child is born here, we opened a design Gallery in 2007, I met Claire Pijoulat in 2010 and we founded WantedDesign, and the truth is we can’t stop starting new projects here! So many opportunities. I love the diversity, the energy of New York. This is a city to create, to build, to dream, and to produce projects.We have been living in Manhattan for 17 years, moving from east to west side, and now we just moved to Brooklyn and I love it. I feel really like home here! We are kind of “Nomade”, moving quite often. And keeping just the things you really like, the one that have a story. I like all very different kind of objects, from Ceramique de Sevres pieces, to Azambourg Meisenthal glass, Japanese ceramics or simple wood tray that I found in Costa Rica. I like discovering new places, meeting people, this is the most interesting thing: people.
What exactly drew you into the world of design, any specific event/anecdote?
I started with Literature and Performing Art, then a bit of Art History and then very much into music. I was exploring all kind of creative expressions. Totally by accident, and actually through music, I started to work in branding and packaging, on the communication part, organizing crazy events and campaigns around fragrances and design. Going to glass manufacturers, fragrances studios, printing companies, I really got into the “making” things, the beauty of craft, the all process from an idea to the materialization of the idea. I particularly fell in love with Glass. I had a chance to work years ago on creating a new fragrance collection inspired by Murano, and to work with masters like Barbini or Carlo Moretti, going in Murano/Venice quite often. I guess it was really an important experience for me. Very very inspiring. I would resume in saying Curiosity drew me into the world of design. And love.
As a cofounder of Wanted Design, Where do you think Parme Marin stands in terms of design?
Parme Marin seduces me by the African inspiration, the very graphic approach, the color palette and the combination/variety of materials. The softness of leather with stones. the contrast. I like that the collections are really envisioned as “parures”, as an extension of the clothing, the skin. It is part of it.
What is it about Parme Marin jewelry that brings out your sense of style?
I feel PM jewelry can totally transform and “embellish” a simple jeans+t shirt. I like the idea of a jewelry that is in fusion with the clothes or the skin.
The Parisian question : What is lacking in the design industry these days ? Any idea of what could make a difference?
We need to talk more about Design during the year in the US. Specially to general public. It’s still very niche, there is not enough visibility in the press, all kind of press, to inspire and educate. We are definitely missing the Home section of the New York times. We are lucky in New York to have great museums like Cooper Hewitt and MAD, presenting to a large audience the various aspects of design. One of our main goal with WantedDesign is certainly to develop more opportunities to talk about design, create a year long forum to connect industry leaders with up and coming designers, educators and students with manufacturers, and retailers with design lovers, for example.
