– Taking a break from the Paris men’s shows, Kering chairman and chief executive officer François-Henri Pinault headed to the northern suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois on Friday to inaugurate the new headquarters of local non-profit 0-93. Lab, which aims to introduce youngsters to careers in fashion and visual arts.

Founded in 2019 by designer Bastien J. Laurent, cofounder of Atelier Avoc and winner of the ANDAM Creative Label Prize in 2017, the creative hub has moved into new digs, a former police station that had been shuttered since 2017, when riots broke out in the adjoining housing estate amid fury over a severe incident of police brutality. 

Thanks to “a significant investment” from Kering, which owns luxury brands including Gucci, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga, the new 3,500-square-foot space will host free workshops, after-school educational programs and cultural events.

Its equipment ranges from sewing and quilting machines to a screenprinting press and a dyeing station. It will also teach embroidery, photography and filmmaking.

“This is light years removed from our old set-up,” Laurent told WWD, noting that the association previously worked out of a 215-square-foot space nearby. 

Originally from Aulnay-sous-Bois, he hopes to welcome a broader cross-section of local residents via cultural events including pop-ups and exhibitions, starting next year. 

Pinault noted creativity was at the heart of Kering’s strategy, as reflected by its new tagline: “Creativity Is Our Legacy.”

“It’s very important for us to ensure that all creative talents are supported, not just those who have jobs, but those who are rising up,” he said in a speech. “Design must constantly change and evolve, and for that we need a lot of talent, and particularly young creative talent.”

Visitors heard from alumni of the program who are now studying design or practicing photography. 

Pinault was joined by Kering executives including chief people officer Béatrice Lazat, and Laurent Aymard, chief operating officer and chief financial officer at Saint Laurent, who helped put in place a six-month mentoring program in which 13 Kering experts were paired with young creatives. 

Balenciaga has donated deadstock fabrics, and hosted a workshop where participants created their own upcycled designs with the help of a tailor, pattern makers and senior designers from the house. The resulting looks were displayed at Balenciaga’s couture salon in Paris.

“This is the kind of thing that we’re absolutely ready, through the different houses of the group, to do again in order to help you,” Pinault said.

Bruno Beschizza, mayor of Aulnay-sous-Bois, praised the initiative for fostering excellence and countering the negative publicity that has dogged the area. “This is at odds with everything that has been said about these neighborhoods,” he said.

Instead, he underlined the potential of the town, with the building of a new rail network that is expected to attract investment to the area, and a population of 90,000 people, of which 43 percent are under 30. 

Pinault, meanwhile, stressed the importance of human creativity in the face of rapidly evolving technoloy. 

“These creative jobs have an extraordinary future and even more so at the dawn of artificial intelligence when design will become more and more synthetic, and in this era, human-made design will become even more important,” he said. “So keep working, be ambitious, keep dreaming because there is really a lot of future in these professions.”