journal
Long reads, short news, interviews, portraits and analysis: the journal tells the stories of the cultures of yesterday and tomorrow. Not every day, but always for a good reason.
are belgian designers taking over paris fashion week?
Because a fashion collection should not be judged in the heat of the moment, but with the distance that allows for criticism, we went back over the spring-summer 2027 Paris Fashion Week. Our attention was caught by three designers of Belgian origin: Ester Manas, Julie Kegels and Marie Adam-Leenaerdt.
Lifestylebuilding a community around repair: levi’s makes its bet
Introducing young people to the afterlife of clothing: that is the promise championed by denim specialist Levi’s.
Designthe sofa, the piece of furniture we no longer see
The sofa is so well integrated into our homes that we have stopped noticing it.
Fashioncharlotte de witte, the new face of g-star: a natural match
A pairing that seems obvious. In practice, it says something more interesting: what techno and denim have in common.
Artto see this autumn: three exhibitions redefining the gaze
For this cultural season, Paris reinvents itself through colour, skin and identity. Alchimist has picked out three exhibitions you shouldn't miss. On the programme: three artists, three continents and one shared obsession, to put colour (of skin, of pigment, of sound) back at the centre of an art history that long relegated it to the margins.
Artkerry james marshall, restoring the black body to art history
American painter Kerry James Marshall has been painting Black bodies since the 1980s, writing them back into a grand narrative of art history that had excluded them. At the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, The Histories forces you to look differently.
Artrafael pavarotti, the lens that shifts the gaze
Behind the colour-saturated portraits of Rihanna and Beyoncé stands Rafael Pavarotti. At the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Brazilian photographer places Black and Indigenous bodies at the centre of the contemporary image.
Arthassan hajjaj, between heritage and hybridity
Nicknamed the Moroccan “Andy Wahlou”, Hassan Hajjaj turns an alleyway into a studio and a tea tin into a picture frame. At the Philharmonie, My Rock Stars tells his story through music.
Fashionwhat does it mean to be a high-performing athlete?
Stopwatch, kilometres covered, VO2 max, recovery time: all statistics that have been invading our social feeds since speed and endurance sports took off.
Artmanifesto - why le journal
Alchimist was born in 2020 from a simple formula: transforming raw material to reveal its purest form, the way a true alchemist would. In practice, giving resonance to the artists, designers and creators of a new generation.