Silverware brand Christofle brings a new look and welcome reissues to the table

As iconic as the French silverware brand Christofle is, even the grandest dames could use a little tweak now and then. Founded in 1830 by Charles Christofle in Paris, the storied house reveals the results of a facelift this month, with the unveiling of a new graphic identity, signature colour, and collections to boot. Designed in partnership with fellow Parisian Ramdane Touhami and his creative agency Art Recherche Industrie, Christofle’s new direction is as much about looking back as it is about looking forward.

The new Christofle

Christofle’s collaboration with Touhami keeps in line with a long legacy of creative partnerships. Over the years, the brand has enlisted the creative talents of designers ranging from Ora-ïto and Martin Szekely to Andrée Putman, Gio Ponti and Man Ray. In Touhami’s hands, Christofle revives an old signature logo, which actually dates back to its early years.

Art Nouveau in style, this rework of an original logo is realised in an English, cursive script that twists and turns freely. Coupled with a new khaki-toned shade of green –also discovered by Touhami in Christofle’s archives and a shade that perfectly complements silver and is associated with Napoleon – the reinvigorated graphic identity speaks both to Christofle’s present and its past.

‘When I arrived at Christofle two years ago, the brand needed a refresh,’ recounts Christofle’s CEO Emilie Metge. ‘We came up with a strategy centred on retrofuturism, which capitalises on the patrimoine, the heritage and the savoir-faire, but in a way that speaks to a new generation that’s modern and inclusive.

‘In doing so, I thought about who is the guy, the one who can understand how to make an old brand cool again. Ramdane, through his work with Cire Trudon and Officine Universelle Buly, came into my mind and I actually sent him a DM on Instagram because I had no clue how to contact him, since he is very much a star in France. Two minutes later, he called me from Korea [and we set up a meeting the following week.]’

Touhami’s deep dive into Christofle’s archives also resulted in the reissue of several heritage collections for 2022. ‘Gallia’, a heavily Art Nouveau tableware service, which was first released around the time of the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris, is a fantastical addition to the table with its undulating floral motifs and suites of cutlery holders moulded in the shapes of peacocks, swans, dogs and cats.

This is accompanied by another reissue, ‘Fjerdingstad’, an 11-piece collection including a coffee pot, a double-bowl fruit basket and a slender water pitcher, that nods to the art deco tradition. 

‘Ramdane said, Christofle is not “arts de la table” (the art of entertaining), but “arts sur la table” (art on the table), which is our new quote. It’s so clever,’ says Metge. 

The 2022 collection also includes new cutlery, which exemplifies Christofle’s forward-thinking direction. Titled ‘Infini’, the elegant, yet pared-back set brings together the tradition of a 15-piece cutlery service with a contemporary, minimalist look. Designed as an extension of the hand, the sculptural set easily elevates the everyday table.

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