At Oribe, every product is born of a commitment to design and artisanal craft. Each holiday season, we partner with artists and makers who elevate and celebrate our shared values of craftsmanship and storytelling into museum-quality works of art — just as Oribe Canales embraced the art of hairdressing.
For the Holiday 2023 Collection, Oribe collaborated with multidisciplinary artist and designer Louis Barthélemy to bring to life our unique expression of heritage craftsmanship and vivid storytelling through seven limited- edition gift sets. Based between Cairo, Marrakesh and Paris, Louis centers his practice around the preservation and revival of traditional crafts, collaborating with artisans around the world and promoting their work to protect their livelihoods and ensure the continuation of their expertise through future generations.
“When selecting an artist to collaborate with, Oribe seeks out deeply authentic storytelling moments and views our artistic partnerships as an opportunity to explore the pinnacle of where human creativity, artistic expression and traditional craft intersect.” explains Vince Stavale, Executive Director of Packaging for Oribe Hair Care. “Oribe was inspired by Louis’ exploration and appreciation of ancient Egyptian craft and iconography, both of which have had a vast and long- standing impact on art, design, and fashion throughout the Mediterranean and the world.”
About the Artwork
For this collection, Louis was inspired by legendary hairstylist and brand co-founder Oribe Canales’ glamour and spirit. He drew upon the art of ancient Egypt to craft three unique vertical works that take their inspiration from papyrus scrolls. Titled, “Eternal Rituals,” the scenes tell the story of a sublime long-haired diety, whose magnificent hair flows upward like the Nile as it is tended by characters engraved in the colorful columns. The whimsical narrative celebrates the timeless daily ritual of experiencing self-affirmation and pampering through hair care. In Egypt as the sun sets, the warm earth tones and the dusty city disappear into the shadows and is replaced by the electric glow of neon signs along the Nile, casting otherworldly tones upon the shadows of the city that is at once modern but that hides history deep in every corner and crevice. Through the organic process of creating the artwork we found this natural inspiration that drove us to the more “traditional” “day” colorway that was juxtaposed against the vibrant surprising colorway of “night”. The final, hand-drawn pieces are playful, sensual, and anchored in historical references.
Introducing Oribe’s Holiday 2023 Collaboration with Artist Louis Barthélemy
In the first scene, her hair is being combed by figures emerging from the columns amidst lush vegetation.
In the second, the goddess’ hair is braided by protective deities, including Hathor, the goddess of love and beauty, represented by a cow’s head; Sekhment, the lioness goddess of healing; and the ibis Thoth, the god of wisdom.
In the third scene, the papyrus-style columns represent the deities Anubis, the jackal god of mummification and the afterlife, and the ram god Khnum, who rules rivers, lakes, and the fertility of the land. Together, they brush, braid,blow- dry and add colorful beads to the beautiful kinks of her unfurling locks, tending to her hair with liter-size bottles of Oribe. Overseeing the image is a winged solar disk, a symbol associated with divinity, royalty, and power.
To further celebrate the craft, Oribe has commissioned Louis to create a one-of-a-kind kilim, or a handwoven tapestry, of the artwork with a team of artisans at the Kahhal Looms located outside of Cairo. The process of creating the kilim is native to Egypt for the last two thousand years and takes about 9 months to complete, as the yarns are manually tied then dyed with more than 20 natural pigments. To finish the piece, the yarn is hand-woven by Anwar
Al-Ashram, a talented weaver who lives and works in Fowa, a small city of the Kafr el Sheikh region in the Nile delta.
“Ancient Egypt inspires me because it is an Egyptian heritage, an African heritage, but above all a universal heritage that belongs to us all,” says Louis. “In my opinion, it is very important to be open to the other — to otherness — and not to turn in on oneself when it comes to the idea of a static and fixed nation and identity. Modern culture is almost always a hybrid.”
The 2023 Oribe Holiday Collection
1. Gold Lust Collection
RM 562.00
Gold Lust Shampoo, Gold Lust Conditioner, Gold Lust Oil Travel
2. Hair Alchemy Collection
RM 539.00
Hair Alchemy Shampoo, Hair Alchemy Conditioner, Hair Alchemy Serum Travel
3. Gold Lust Liter Set
RM 1,540.00
Gold Lust Shampoo Liter, Gold Lust Conditioner Liter
Sustainable Packaging
The sets are made using FSC Certified, Green Seal Certified minimum 30% post-consumer fiber papers using a chlorine free process, soy inks and renewable electricity. The internal tray is made from 100% biodegradable and renewable plant fiber and is recyclable. All Oribe products are formulated with safe, high-quality, innovative ingredients.
The Gold Lust Collection and Hair Alchemy Collections are available now online, KENS Apothecary (The Gardens Mall, Bangsar Village 2, Bangsar Shopping Centre, and Pavilion Kuala Lumpur) and Oribe Salon (Makeover salon Bangsar, Her Maison Pusat Bandar Bukit Jalil, Hairzone By Michael Poh Mytown, Hairoom Plus Salon Alor Setar).The Gold Lust Liter Set is available now online and Oribe Salon (Makeover salon Bangsar, Her Maison Pusat Bandar Bukit Jalil, Hairzone By Michael Poh Mytown, Hairoom Plus Salon Alor Setar)
