Translated by Bethszabee Garner

A backpack and sneakers for Vuitton, an atomic energy lighter for BIC, a digital recognition card for Visa, a G-shaped villa for Gucci…These intangible creations continue to arouse a desire that is impossible to satisfy because, like in a museum, they can only be touched with the eyes... These first noticed steps in the virtual world will soon make the news to the point of colliding with the collective imagination!

Ora-ïto took his first steps in the real world with a pair of vertiginous pumps with a skilfully undressed silhouette in collaboration with Roger Vivier, the legendary inventor of the stiletto heel. The fashion world was immediately in turmoil. All over the world, the press was passionate about the insolent charm of the French Touch that he embodied, following the example of Daft Punk, with whom he would radiate the entire world! Ora-ïto distinguished himself through the range of his skills and the collaborations that followed one after the other. He even afforded himself the luxury of choosing the brands with which he wished to cooperate.

The list of his artistic interventions is a Prévert-style inventory: a bottle of perfume for Guerlain, a collection of household appliances, a boat for Perini Navi, a line of electronic accessories, a star bottle for Heineken, a tram for Alsthom, a hi-tech electric bicycle, a range of lighting for Artemide, cutlery for Christofle, an ecological research center in Marseille, a building in Monaco with Buren.

Oraïto is both a sprinter and a marathon runner. Passionate about the future since his earliest childhood, it is his vital need for dreams and challenges that will guide his journey through all the worlds of creation. His very first collection of 100% virtual objects initiated a new dynamic in the world of creation, the scale of which will become exponential.

With an ever-growing number of admirers across the continents, he captivates with the finesse of his approach and the subtlety of the refinement that he has intuitively imposed on himself. His secret: to retain a child's view of the world and to dream his life away. Because he is passionate about exercise, he can spend whole days imagining and reconstructing what the future will look like with the wonder of a child in a toy shop… He has also chosen to direct his work towards all art lovers by establishing MaMo, Marseille Modulor, in 2013, and was now giving a fresh boost to ecological creation by launching, with the support of Emmanuel Macron, the ODCO project not far from the Vieux Port, where researchers and engineers will build a greener future for the European Capital of Culture of which he is a native.

Record shattered

By constantly re-imagining what the future will hold and always questioning himself, he has remained the young man with the dreamy gaze and innovation as his flag. He conceives his work as a perpetual creative experiment with the idea of constantly pushing the boundaries and technical constraints, while staying away from pre-established frameworks. While he refuses to be considered an artist, the creator navigates the world of the arts at ease. His work is now exhibited in museums and most of his works have been acquired by the Fonds national d'art contemporain (Fnac) of the Georges-Pompidou center, which had already made his website the second work ever acquired by the digital fund initiated at the dawn of the digital revolution.

The insolent success of his work breaks all records! He is not only the youngest industrial designer in history, but also the father of the very first virtual brand. The eternal adolescent with a Hollywood physique and very Parisian elegance cultivates a resolutely French art de vivre. In 2022, he became the international face of master watchmaker Vacheron Constantin in an advertising campaign ranging from the written press to the facade covering the scaffolding of the Louvre.

President Macron takes a close interest in his work, as does Daniel Buren, who has also grown fond of him and his tough-as-nails Mediterranean character.

Committed citizen

What is it that still makes someone who has already achieved so much dream? To transform our daily lives again and again, moving seamlessly from one project to another in order to be everywhere at once and preferably where we are not expected. His dazzling success at the end of the last century has never waned. At the dawn of the third millennium, it has become a unique source of inspiration for a whole generation of young designers.

The man who has already traveled around the world several times is a committed citizen before being a designer. Perfectly aware of the climate issues, he very quickly invested himself in the development of new sources of renewable and non-polluting energy. He has integrated a truly ecological signature into his work as a designer, taking charge of all the issues related to overconsumption. The future he is laying the foundations for has always taken into account climatic and social issues in order to simplify as much as possible the thousand and one things that invade, even parasitize, our daily lives. The future he is shaping is bright: everything is simpler, easier, more efficient and more beautiful!

Twenty-five years after his debut, it is clear that Ora-ïto has truly made his mark on the history of art by setting out to bring his childhood dreams to life. The excellence of his career has made him a true reference studied in all faculties! So what can we say to him other than “thank you for continuing to make us dream”?

Article written by Dominique Busso to be found in issue n°1 of OniriQ Magazine.