Rosie Assoulin Launches a Cheerful and Sustainable Stationery Line With Papier
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When it came to designing her new stationery line with Papier, Rosie Assoulin wanted to do something hopeful. After all, after months in lockdown, everyone was in sore need. So, she turned to something that always lifted her spirits: watercolors.
“I love the vibrancy and fluidity of painting with watercolors, and it has been a very calming outlet these last many months while we haven t had access to the studio,” she tells Vogue. Plus, it was a natural extension of her brand as she switched gears from ready-to-wear to ready-to-write: her resort 2020 collection, for example, featured a painted ball skirt and poplin dress. (This also isn t Assoulin’s first recent foray into the home space—she launched a natural wine line in August.)
Rainbow tulips abound in the line—which includes notebooks, cards, and writing paper—as does a playful paisley, and a multi-colored plaid. There’s an option for customization: “from the desk of” is printed neatly atop each card and notebook cover. Although Assoulin threw one holiday card in the mix, she wanted her collection to be mostly evergreen. “Why should we be restricted to just one day, or week, or season of wishing the special people in our life well?” she says. “We also want to celebrate the inspiration that comes from writing your thoughts on paper, whether it’s journaling, poetry, writing recipes down, or even notes to yourself."
Assoulin’s bleeding brushstrokes are apparent on most of her paper products, resulting in an energetic and intimate artisan feel. That, says Assoulin, was intentional. “Watercolor is so much about lack of ultimate control, and maybe even a celebration of that vulnerability,” she says. “The beauty of it is to allow for movement and color to guide the process.”
Paper, some may say, is an outdated medium in 2020. But Assoulin disagrees. Her collection is sustainable: everything is printed on either Pergraphica or Mohawk produced stock. Both companies are known for their eco-friendly practices like wind-energy manufacturing and pulp recycling. Plus, in the digital communication age where messages can be mass-addressed and fired off in a second, she thinks people crave the thoughtful and intimate conveyance of a handwritten letter.
“Think of museums filled with letters and correspondence, famous and infamous. handwritten notes feel really romantic to me,” she muses. “Can you imagine the horror of being remembered for your texts?” To which we reply with dear god and no thank you.
Below, shop Assoulin’s cheerful new line with Papier.
