Côte&Ciel is a popular luggage brand known for its modern, urban, and instantly recognizable designs. This interview features Emily Arnault, the brand's chief designer. A great admirer of Japan, she was recently deeply impressed by the beauty of Japanese nature. Through this interview, we reaffirmed the true appeal of their unique products, exploring her design philosophy and creative process.

By stripping away the unnecessary, an infinite universe of form unfolds.

Côte&Ciel was founded in 2008 in Paris, France, by the design team of the Paperrain Group, which is also known for creating Apple-certified gadget accessories. Its flagship product, "Isar," has gained the support of discerning digital nomads and fashion-conscious individuals with its unique asymmetrical design and superior practicality. It is still fresh in our memories that it became a topic of conversation when it was revealed that Steve Jobs himself, a man of extremely meticulous attention to detail, was a fan of the brand.

Leading the team is Emily Arnault, a true Parisian designer with a deep understanding of ergonomics, architecture, and art. We visited her during her first long-awaited visit to Japan, where she was able to relax for the first time, and asked her about the secrets behind her unique designs that set her apart from any other brand.

"I think I came up with the brand name Côte et Ciel on a flight back from Milan to Paris. The boundary between the coast (Côte) and the sky (Ciel) that I could see from the window—that line, dyed in the sunset—was incredibly beautiful. At the same time, I felt the importance of infinity and 'perspective' in that geometric boundary within the organic natural landscape, and that was the starting point."


Arnault describes Côte&Ciel bags as "like an extension of human skin, where the contents determine the form," resulting in a design that is both futuristic and remarkably organic. Yet, their three-dimensional form is created by folding and bending a single rectangle—a geometric pattern. Parts and details are thoroughly stripped away, and not even seams are visible. The design is extremely simple, a look that can only be described as minimalist.

"This is the spirit of 'less is more.' Stitching is necessary to create form, but from a design perspective, it's superfluous. For ultimate simplicity, it's definitely better not to show the seams on the outside. Also, I use rectangular fabric for the body of most of my bags. The geometric design of a rectangle can be folded to create organic curves and express an infinite number of designs. This might be a concept that is similar to that of Japanese furoshiki (wrapping cloths) and origami."