A MULTIFACTETED VENUE :
A 15,000 sqm city within the city, the Cité hosts unique, inspiring venues. Club kids, students, families, athletes, professionals, art and design lovers…the Cité welcomes nearly 1.5 million visitors each year.
La cité
On the Quai (Riverbank), the Piazza, or the Rooftop, clubs/restaurants Garage, Nuits Fauves, Wanderlust, Communion and Café Oz Rooftop reign supreme over Parisian nights, with their cutting-edge programming and unique ambiance. On the passageways, over the Seine, the DAD restaurant offers delicious gourmet hot dogs with that extra touch of French savoir-faire.
Institut Français de la Mode
As a State-certified higher learning institution and center for professional development and expertise for the textile, fashion, luxury, and design industries, the IFM (Institut Français de la Mode) chose to settle in at the Cité starting in 2008.
Founded in 2013, Art Ludique - Le Musée advocates art’s role in entertainment, through two annual exhibitions dedicated to artists in comics, manga, film, animation, and video games.
THE HISTORY OF THE DOCKS
In 1907, the Port of Paris requested a design for industrial warehouses from architect Georges Morin-Goustiaux. Constructed on the banks of the Seine, the Magasins Généraux stored merchandise in transit from river barges to the Gare d’Austerlitz.
This architect created one of the first reinforced concrete structures in the capital, and chose not to embellish it with a decorative façade, as was common practice in his day. A first in France, this raw concrete structure signaled the creation of the first modern Parisian docks of the 20th century. This was an innovative architectural choice which proved quite controversial, provoking both admiration and criticism.
ITS ARCHITECTURE
In 2005, architects Dominique Jakob and Brendan Macfarlane were selected to design the conversion of the Magasins Généraux into the Cité de la Mode et du Design; the Cité was reborn, transfigured, in 2009.
Jakob+MacFarlane decided to preserve the concrete structure of the former industrial warehouse, and cover it with a new skin…This skin, which reveals and celebrates the existing structures, is designed as a “plug-over”. Inspired by the river’s movement, the plug-over, in metal and etched glass, owes its green color to aquatic reflections. This is living, organic architecture, plugged into the surrounding urban environment.
At night, the lighting, created by artist Yann Kersalé, brings the building to life with a play of light from a variety of sources, in a multitude of colors.
The team
TECHNICAL SERVICES AND SECURITY
Technical and Safety Manager :
Djamal SEBIH djamal.sebih@citemodedesign.fr- +33 (0)1 76 77 25 34
THE CULTURAL DIVISION
OF THE CAISSE DES DÉPÔTS
As a 100% subsidiary of the Caisse des Dépôts Group, the Cité de la Mode et du Design is part of the Cultural Center of the Caisse des Dépôts, along with the 15 Montaigne - Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.