M to M of M/M (Paris)

Book excerpt: An in-depth monograph of M/M, one of Europe’s most inventive and distinguished graphic-design studios. Originally established in 1992 by Michaël Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak as a graphic design studio, M/M (Paris) have since defied categorization, becoming one of the most radical creative practices of today through their influential work across the contemporary cultural sphere. By collaborating with fashion designers and brands such as Alexander McQueen, Loewe, Louis Vuitton, Miuccia Prada, Jonathan Anderson, Nicolas Ghesquiere and Yohji Yamamoto; musicians Björk, Étienne Daho, Kanye West, Lou Doillon, Madonna, and Vanessa Paradis; contemporary artists including François Curlet, Philippe Parreno, Pierre Huyghe, and Sarah Morris; and rethinking the iconic titles Interview magazine, Purple Fashion, and Vogue Paris, M/M have been building a visual atlas of the creative landscape since the early 1990s. In this illustrated A to Z, beginning and ending with the letter M, interviews with Michaël Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak frame over 850 images of their projects. A series of conversations with rarely-heard luminaries – designers Peter Saville, Experimental Jetset, Cornel Windlin and Katsumi Asaba; fashion designers Miuccia Prada and Jonathan Anderson; artist Francesco Vezzoli; cinematographer Darius Khondji; chef Jean-François Piege; theatre director Arthur Nauzyciel, and curator Hans Ulrich Obrist – are interspersed, providing a thought-provoking insight into the minds of one of the world’s most distinctive creative duos. A foreword by Donatien Grau and an afterword by Éric Troncy bookend contributions by Emanuele Coccia, Jo-Ann Furniss, Alison M. Gingeras, Étienne Hervy, Emily King, Philippe Rouyer, and Akira Takamiya. Edited by Grace Johnston, volume two of M to M of M/M (Paris) completes the first volume of M/M’s monograph published in 2012, and now republished by Thames & Hudson.