Good people: Oschon and the Print Van Paris

       

When I was at the Duperré fashion design school, there were compulsory technical courses, and screen printing was one of them. I didn't know much about the subject, and then all of a sudden, I discovered an incredible range of possibilities, and then a whole boulevard opened up for me - I went crazy about that screen-printing course!

Serigraphy is a fairly new printing technique that uses nylon-type polyester screens (originally made of silk), a kind of stretched frame on which a photosensitive emulsion is coated. Then, before exposing the screen to UV light, the design, previously printed in opaque black on a transparent sheet, is laid against the photosensitive emulsion. When exposed to ultraviolet light, the emulsion hardens, blocking the fabric and preventing the ink from passing through, thus creating a kind of stencil! I'm telling you this because I imagine it may not be obvious to everyone, but you're bound to have studied the work of Andy Warhol, who, along with his contemporary colleagues, gave this printing technique its due in the 60s and 70s...

Screen printing became a kind of hobby that I discovered when I was a student, and later I took it up in workshops on the outskirts of Paris to print my own designs, and I always thought it was a shame that there weren't more workshops in the big cities, in Paris at least, to make screen printing more accessible to individuals...

And then one day, I discovered a little Renault estafette on Instagram, with the false air of an ice-cream truck: Print Van Paris. So here's a simple mathematical rule operating in my brain:

Serigraphy + Ice Cream Truck = I get silly, hysterical, heart with fingers ...

Digging a little deeper, I realized that Print Van Parisin addition to their little estafette, had also built a lemonade stand that doubles as a screen-printing table.

Print Van ParisPrint Van Paris is a small company that offers screen-printing workshops for personal or professional events. Follow them on social networks to keep up to date with all the latest news, and make sure you don't miss any of their workshops! You can buy ultra-colorful posters signed by the founders of Print Van Paris, or exclusive designs created by artists in collaboration with them! You can even choose your own design, print it on a T-shirt and take it home with you!

We were already won over, but this was just too much! I I decided to go and meet this great concept, and I met Oschon (pronounced "Ocean" with an American accent), the founder. Oschon is a sunny personality, generous and a great teacher - everything we love! We're all fans of Oschon at the Lemonade Studio, and it didn't take us long to realize that we had to do something together!

So last October, we organized several workshops at the pop-up store, including an introduction to silk-screen printing... It was great, but the venue definitely wasn't big enough for that... It was our debut together. And then, as we talked, we saw the big picture. The day we had our own store, we said to ourselves that it would be crazy to imagine weekend workshops, screen-printing on Saturdays and sewing on Sundays to assemble your printed garments... We've got lots of ideas! And for Bee My Baby, I wanted us to make a little screen-printed bandana available only in the office workshop! This workshop will take place in mid-March to celebrate the arrival of spring and the end of the office work! It will be a 2-person workshop, for you and your best mate, or your better half, to continue in our "Bee My Baby" vein, but we'll tell you more about it when the ticket office opens in our newsletter in the coming weeks!

I leave you with Oschon's portrait of a new opus of good people and the making of the bandana printing video from our collection shoot!

• Guidance counsellor question: Can you tell us about your career path?

After graduating from high school in Switzerland, I went on to study for a Bachelor's degree in graphic design at London College of Communication… I loved the school's various workshops. There was letterpress, bookbinding, lino, engraving and, in particular, a silkscreen workshop where I spent most of my time.

So, after graduating, I was keen to continue in screen printing and discovered the Dalston London Club. It was wonderful. Kate and Fred, the two founders, let me use the studio for my own projects in exchange for a day's work. I was able to experiment with new printing techniques, meet people and learn about the business side of a potential personal business from Kate and Fred, who have become friends and mentors.

The rest of the time I worked at Cure Studio, a small graphic design studio with James Hurst. James taught me the basics of digital and print design. After 2 years with him, I got the opportunity to work at Burberry in the Digital team. After 10 years, in early 2014, I decided to leave London and move to Paris. I started working in digital at Chloé before launching my own adventure. Print Van Paris.

• Juggling question: Today, as a graphic designer for brands and, above all, as an entrepreneur with your own story, how do you reconcile all these projects while growing your business?

I love the diversity of my job. To be working on a global project with small designer brands, or in a big palace working on a fashion show, and the next day washing silkscreen frames on the street next to my Van.

But it's not easy every day, especially when you have to take the time to grow your project. You have to manage your time well, work with passion and inevitably sacrifice a little of your free time and personal time.

• Conversion question: What prompted you to launch Print Van Paris? And why an ice cream van?

When I was in London, I often went to lunch at Captain Corellis. a superb brasserie with a "Godfather" atmosphere in South London. It had a very Sicilian atmosphere, with huge, delicious dishes and an owner who looked like a real mafioso... There were always lots of ice cream trucks around the restaurant. I loved the different colors, patterns, graphics, shapes and so on...

The magical feeling you get when you see an ice cream truck in the street reminded me of the same happy feeling you get when you lift a silkscreen frame for the first time. That's when the idea was born: to combine these two magical moments!

5 years later, I had enough money saved to get started. I met the L'imprimerie du Maraisand with Simon Roché, a screen printer at the print shop, we launched Print Van Paris in September 2014.

• -Globe trotter question: USA, Switzerland, England, France, what made you decide to settle in Paris?

Quite simply love, because my girlfriend lives in Paris! 

• Question of the future: Today, Print Van Paris is a screen-printing cart, a sublime truck and a number of special projects with brands. What's next for you, renovating an old printing works?

Aaah renovating an old printing works, that would be the best! On a more serious note, we're really in the process of looking for a permanent location. It's a logical and natural evolution that would enable us to take our collaborations with artists even further, but also to democratize screen printing. We'd like to open workshops and screen-printing courses, while continuing to produce our work live, with brands in our studio or in the van on the streets of Paris.

• Master Yoda question: What 3 pieces of advice would you give to someone who wants to set up their own business in an artistic field?

- Put some love and passion into it!

- Don't neglect the business side of things. To keep a project going, you need to know how to manage your finances.

- Don't confuse your hobby with your job.

• Guru question: Who was the person who made you want to get into screen printing? Do you have someone you admire?

Aida Wile (House of Brag), my first screen-printing teacher at university. James Hurst and Fred Higginson, who introduced me to their worlds and helped me get started.

• Question "Du côté de chez Swann": What was your first colorful emotion?

Cotton candy, colorful attractions and stuffed animals at the Sydney Royal Easter Show amusement park in Australia.

• Throwback" question: What was your childhood dream job?

A mix of pro skater, writer, freedom fighter and construction equipment operator.

Thank you Oschon for your time and answers!