Trio of style
(Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2004-10-14 09:45

Fournier's Chinese obsession is everywhere in her life. She speaks fluent Chinese and her children go to Chinese school. Her home decoration reinterprets traditional Chinese art pieces in a modern setting. She places the antique comb-backed chair in the style of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) next to a transparent chair designed by Philippe Starck. The contrast between the different materials sparks unusual harmony.

Shanghai Trio features colorful lifestyle products, such as bags, purses, shoes, scarves, shawls and clothes.

On the leafy Fuxing Road W. in the former French Concession area, Shanghai Trio showroom sells a range of soft furnishings, including table cloths and cushions -- modern but with a subtle Oriental twist. There are also women's accessories: bags, purses, mobile phone holders, glasses cases made with fine silk, photograph albums, notebooks, delicate business cardholder, scarves and shawls. They come in stunning color combinations: rose, lilacs, blue grey, green, flamboyant orange and flashy pink.

Like many of expat "taitais" (wives), Fournier first landed in the city like a rudderless ship in baffling winds. She had previously lived alone in Italy, England and Africa and was determined to find a direction in her new home. She began traveling around the country and exploring remote parts of the countryside in Henan and Hebei provinces. She never came home empty-handed.

"It takes patience and determination to unearth gems," she says, "but I always bump into something extraordinary." A diligent painter since childhood, Fournier has an eye for color and pattern. She found traditional Chinese patterns and vibrant colors made great lifestyle accessories with a twist of modern simplicity.

Fournier then teamed up with another French woman and an English woman to open a boutique on Taicang Road also catering to sophisticated tastes. The name "Shanghai Trio" derives from the movie "Shanghai Triad" directed by Zhang Yimou, who is famous for countryside-themed motion pictures.

"Zhang is a symbol of Chinese culture," says Fournier. "We were three people. So this is the connection." Though the other two women relocated, Fournier has continued the business and developed a studio to recruit young local designers. Her design team now includes Dai Di from Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, and Zhang Ningjia, a graduate from Donghua University.

All of the fabrics are natural such as silk, cashmere, linen and cotton. Fournier likes discovering materials with a history such as the mud silk that she found in south China. She recently discovered a hand-woven fabric on a trip to Yunnan Province.
Fournier says she aims to design and source functional, simple home accessories that have a Chinese touch. Shanghai Trio products are now also distributed to Taiwan, Singapore, Italy, Spain and France. While Fournier enjoys success, it's also been a lot of hard work but she says it's the only way to go in a place like China. "I wanted to get involved, not simply watch from the sidelines," she says.

Shanghai Trio showroom
Address: Bldg 6, 37 Fuxing Rd W.
Tel: 6433-8901

Shanghai Trio boutique
Address: Unit 5, Bldg 1, 181 Taicang Rd, Xintiandi
Tel: 6355-2974

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