G&G editor Philippe Clemens meets four celebrities who dared to move to Paris.
G&G editor Philippe Clemens visits four Swiss people who have chosen Paris as their adoptive home. They work in the areas that make French culture world famous: fashion, gastronomy, and music. This brave move has paid off for everyone.
Glitter mixed with trash?
30-year-old Valaisan Kevin Germanier is pursuing his dream as a fashion designer. With his vision, he creates typical Parisian fashion and is oriented towards the future: he combines glamor and trash. Also at this year’s Paris Fashion Week, his models are mainly dressed in recycled materials: “I don’t create fashion to sell black T-shirts, I dream. How can this be rubbish? It’s absolutely absurd,” says the designer.
I don’t make fashion to sell black T-shirts, I dream.
Today, Germanier is a household name in the fashion world. Actresses Kristen Stewart and Heidi Klum at this year’s Golden Globes or the heroes of the hit Netflix series “Emily in Paris” wear his creations.
These celebrities are dressed in German fashion
Paris is also top class when it comes to gastronomy. Nowhere else in the world are there as many starred restaurants as there are in Paris. One of them is led by Laurent Magnin.
Seven years ago, a man from the state of Vaud opened his restaurant “L’Arcane”, awarded with a Michelin star. The 34-year-old learned the trade at the 19-point Swiss gourmet temple “Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville” in Crissier: “The most important thing I learned from the great Swiss masters is passion, rigor, perseverance, good work and respect for products, as well as always being seasonal.” .I follow that to this day,” Magnin says.
The most important thing I learned from the top Swiss teachers is passion, rigor, perseverance, good work and respect for products.
Although he loves running a restaurant in Paris, he misses Switzerland: “I want to bring more home to my kitchen.”
Gjon Muharremaj, better known as singer Gjon Tears, was in Paris recently. In 2021 he took third place for Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest.
This led to the 24-year-old singer signing with a French record label. But his start in the French capital was not easy: «In the beginning, I experienced many disappointments. The confrontations that were promised to me did not materialize. But negative experiences are part of life.”
At first, I felt many disappointments.
Today he has found his place in the Parisian music scene. Yet he misses his family: “What I miss is being close to people and my environment. It’s not easy to integrate here because the mentality is completely different. But once you do, you can benefit from this city.” And for now he’s making the most of it: his debut album, “The Game,” will be released in April.
The French capital has also been home to Nora Baldenweg for 15 years. She is from the textile and journalism sectors. Today, the 41-year-old is an in-demand creative director responsible for visual concepts and campaigns for fashion magazines like Vogue or brands like Chanel, Saint Laurent or Issey-Miyake.
Nora Baldenweg makes people dream – with her fashion campaigns, but also with her award-winning tunes. Together with her brothers Diego and Lionel, she is responsible for the music of more than 20 feature films and 300 commercials. “I love the energy in Paris. It pushes you all the time. When I walk the streets here, I feel happy and inspired.”
“Professional music expert. Creator. Student. Twitter aficionado. Unapologetic coffee trailblazer.”
More Stories
“First Dates Hotel” in Mallorca: This is how Vox tricks your TV
What message does Nemo's music video “The Code” have at ESC 2024? -children
The role of GZSZ Zoe has a big secret