JUEVES, 10 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2026 
Reclaiming the Bastille: A Monumental Installation of 196 Flags for Peace, Ahead of Their Auction on Drouot.com
C laire & Jean-Séb. reclaim the Bastille! In partnership with Le Monde Festival and Refashion, the designer duo and co-founders of Studio 5.5 will take over the Place de la Bastille during Paris Design Week with a monumental installation that echoes the history of this iconic square, long associated with freedom and revolution.
Around the July Column, 196 flags will rise on six-metre-high bamboo poles: one for each of the 195 UN member and observer states, plus a white flag. Flying together in the heart of Paris, they will transform the square into a space for coexistence and reflection on peace and the unity of peoples.
“A flag is, of course, a symbol of identity. But bringing 196 flags together on the Place de la Bastille sends a powerful message about living together, and reminds us that the world is a fabric woven from cultures, migration, cross-cultural exchange and constant movement.”
Each unique flag will be made entirely by hand from discarded clothing collected through Refashion’s partner collection network, including the Vosges TLC reuse centre. Working flag by flag, the designers will piece together textile patchworks, which will then be pinned and stitched by the seamstresses at the workshops of the Huriya association.
“We looked at the textile traditions of each country — weaving techniques, prints, cultural references and more — so that each flag could tell a story and take you on a journey. For the French flag, we chose blue workwear to evoke France’s industrial past, a white chef’s jacket to celebrate its gastronomic heritage, a piece of white Chanel-style tailoring, and a red Air France blanket.”
The choice of textiles is integral to the project. La Re-prise de la Bastille champions a more sustainable approach to fashion while highlighting the importance of sorting and recycling textiles: clothes should never simply be thrown away, and discarded materials can themselves be transformed into works of art.
Each flag will be offered at auction on Drouot.com from 9 to 20 September.
“A flag is, of course, a symbol of identity. But bringing 196 flags together on the Place de la Bastille sends a powerful message about living together, and reminds us that the world is a fabric woven from cultures, migration, cross-cultural exchange and constant movement.”
Each unique flag will be made entirely by hand from discarded clothing collected through Refashion’s partner collection network, including the Vosges TLC reuse centre. Working flag by flag, the designers will piece together textile patchworks, which will then be pinned and stitched by the seamstresses at the workshops of the Huriya association.
“We looked at the textile traditions of each country — weaving techniques, prints, cultural references and more — so that each flag could tell a story and take you on a journey. For the French flag, we chose blue workwear to evoke France’s industrial past, a white chef’s jacket to celebrate its gastronomic heritage, a piece of white Chanel-style tailoring, and a red Air France blanket.”
The choice of textiles is integral to the project. La Re-prise de la Bastille champions a more sustainable approach to fashion while highlighting the importance of sorting and recycling textiles: clothes should never simply be thrown away, and discarded materials can themselves be transformed into works of art.
Each flag will be offered at auction on Drouot.com from 9 to 20 September.
