6 DEGREES OF SEPARATION: M/M PARIS

M/M Paris are another design duo based in Paris, set up in 1992 by Mathias Augustyniak & Michael Amzalag. The pair work in many realms, most prominently art direction for fashion, but work within music, art, film, publication design and experimental typography.
They have an immensely impressive list of clients that includes the likes of Prada, Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton, Madonna, Vogue Paris, Adidas and many more. Perhaps their most recognisable pieces are those of an illustrative approach. Their series ‘dessin dans l’image’, translated as ‘drawings in the picture’ are exactly that, drawings applied onto images of female models that you’d expect to see in a high-end fashion magazine.
M/M have experimented further with their illustration work but have also created some high-end design based pieces and highly experimental typography to prove how versatile they are. Their typography work where they have constructed letters of the alphabet through the use of photos of models are a great example of this.


Above: One of the pieces from their ‘dessin dans l’image’ series
Below: M/M's experimental typographic piece 'The Alphabet'
The duo themselves have stated in the past that they’re influenced by post punk aesthetics as well as the more strict and structured approach of the Swiss school of graphic design and the more emotional and sensitive Polish school. Despite this they still to me, have a very Parisian design feel about them, much like Antoinne et Manuel, with the exception that they tend to use much darker colours and tones compared to their Parisian counterparts.
M/M Paris over their 18 year existence keep on proving they’re no one trick pony, constantly taking part in new artistic ventures, such as their two year involvement in designing a matruschka-like carved out book about Kubrick’s unfinished film ‘Napoleon’, which was a limited publication that sold for around £500 per piece. Their most recent project, in collaboration with Swedish brand Bryedo is their first eau-de-parfum fragrance labelled ‘M/MINK’, inspired by the smell of solid Asian ink they regularly use across their designs. That alone is territory never before crossed by a designer and only goes to show how far they like to push the boundaries, and how successful they have been in the fashion world.
Their work within fashion has crossed over many areas, and it’s their involvement with high end men’s fashion magazine Arena Homme + between 2007 and 2009 that links them onto my next artist. For those two years they were creative directors for the magazine, working on several issues, before the position was taken over by Graphic design heavyweight Neville Brody......