Created in 1954 at the initiative of Jean-Jacques Guerlain, the Colbert Committee brings together French luxury brands and cultural institutions. They work together to promote the French “art of living” at an international level.
Initially consisting of 15 members, the Colbert Committee now includes 78 luxury companies, of various sizes, some well-established, and some more recent. Members share common values in five areas: international ambition and strong brand identity, quality, creativity, objects that express a form of poetry, and ethics. Our group is represented within the Colbert Committee by Château Lafite Rothschild.
In 2014, the Colbert Committee celebrated its 60th anniversary. For the occasion, the members of the Committee set themselves the objective of imagining an optimistic vision of the world in 2074. A new project was born: “Dreaming 2074, a utopia created by French luxury.” This joint reflection was given form in a work created in collaboration with linguist Alain Rey, 6 science fiction authors and a composer. Available as an ebook (in French and English), it contains 6 sci-fi stories, a sound feature and a collection of neologisms: http://www.rever2074.com/
Ahead of the publication of the book, the Colbert Committee launched a digital campaign during which luxury companies published a series of neologisms: words from the “future” inspired by their concept of luxury today, and the luxury that tomorrow might bring. We took part to this publicity campaign, publishing the neologisms: Rêver-Vrai, Intiplanétaire, Calliphore, Proximondial, Instéternel, Orbiquité.
The project was finally revealed last November in Versailles, a location symbolic of French luxury, and presented to the French and international press. All the directors and members of the Colbert Committee were assembled for the occasion. The campaign was so successful that the members of the Committee decided to take it a step further. This time the representation took the form of images, in partnership with photographer Quentin Bertoux, who has created some highly imaginative illustrations of the neologisms.
Here is Château Lafite Rothschild’s selection:
Rêver-Vrai
Intiplanétaire
Calliphore
Proximondial
Instéternel
Orbiquité
For further information:
www.comitecolbert.com
http://www.rever2074.com/
Photos Credit : Quentin Bertoux