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Perhaps it all began with The Mysterious Cities of Gold. As a teenager, Emma François devoured García Márquez and Borges, then discovered Frida Kahlo. Captivated, she longed to go to Coyoacán, to see her house and trace her footsteps. At 21, Latin America became her playground. She traveled through Guatemala, Peru, and Ecuador, while specializing in economic anthropology and the role of craftsmanship within the economy.
With two friends, she first brought back Guatemalan trousers and crocheted hats to fund their next journeys; the sales indeed paid for the next two. But Emma wanted to go beyond simple resale: she designed her own pieces and set off alone to have them made by local artisans. And so Sessùn was born in 1996, somewhere between heritage craftsmanship and skate and surf culture, before Emma left Paris to unpack her bags in Marseille in 1997.
Her Carnet would never truly close: Mishima’s Spring Snow would later inspire her to discover Japan and its indigo; Eggleston, Stephen Shore, Antonioni, Godard, Patti Smith, and Bowie would each, in turn, nourish the collections. Emma puts it beautifully: books do not necessarily create a collection, they "sow clues."
To mark its 30th anniversary, Sessùn is taking over Paris Design Week, transforming the city into a creative trail: exhibitions, workshops, and gatherings, featuring thirty artists and artisans invited to reimagine the Divine, the house’s signature bag, in glass, stoneware, rattan, marble, wood, or even biocement. The exhibition runs from September 11 to 18, 2026, at Galerie Joseph, before continuing across several Paris boutiques.
My own personal contribution to this anniversary? A crush on the new Divilio Bota, a variation of the Divilio bag, priced at €295.
Taste
Sessùn · Emma François · The Mysterious Cities of Gold · Coyoacán · Frida Kahlo · García Márquez · Borges · Guatemala · Carnet de voyage · Anthropology · Artisanat · Guatemalan trousers · Crochet hats · Marseille, 1997 · Mediterranean life
