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Olivier Amsellem is the cultural maestro of Marseille’s newcomers. The concept store, garden restaurant, houses and art gallery he runs in the city, all under the name Jogging, have become a haven for fashion’s jet-set, many of whom arrive straight from the airport, suitcases in tow, and return several times over the course of their holidays. When Chanel presented its latest Cruise show in Marseille in May, Jogging was asked to present a tarot reading in one of his houses. Amsellem was summoned to Radio Chanel as “a Marseillais and a figure of the local scene.”
Since opening its doors as a retail space in 2014 in a former butcher shop on Rue Paradis, Jogging’s selection has attracted aesthetes from around the world. “Jogging is basically the gateway between Marseille and the world,” says Guillaume Monnet, a local chef who recently completed his residency at Jogging’s restaurant (one of 18 residencies this summer). “Even when I lived in Paris, I knew I would always find something cooler at Jogging,” agrees Taeri Grace, a creative strategist who has been a Jogging client for years. “The first thing all my fashion influencer friends from around the world want to do in Marseille is go to Jogging.”
They are coming for the Amsellem selection. Run It is probably the only place in the south of France where shoppers can find brands such as Jacquemus, Lemaire, District Vision and Courrèges, alongside Astier de Villatte candles and Asics and Salomon trainers. Amsellem was a fashion photographer in Paris, where he assisted Paolo Reversi and Jean-Baptiste Mondino, among others, before returning to his hometown in his 40s. He says he shops “like a stylist. I don’t want to mix and match. I want the complete look.”
“It’s a safe edition.”Rabanne “It’s not the easiest brand to sell,” says Grace, “but Olivier has it in his catalogue.” Inside, Helinox camping chairs (from €110) are displayed alongside a Jacquemus evening dress, which is next to MothTech perforated T-shirts from Parisian running brand Satisfy (€120). The latest brightly coloured Adidas Wales Bonner drop (from €175) can be found opposite a display of white ceramic vases and candlesticks from Astier de Villatte and near Vibram foot massage balls (€40). This summer, Amsellem is particularly interested in Puma, specifically its reissued SpeedCat sneaker and a new square-toe collaboration with Coperni. “You won’t find this anywhere else in France,” he says, “let alone in the south.”
The aim has always been to cater to tourists. The jogging was born after Amsellem and his co-founder, the late Charlotte Brunet, worked together on Marseille’s campaign to be European Capital of Culture in 2013. “When we opened, all the other shops in Marseille closed in August,” Amsellem recalls. “We were the first to say: ‘We’re open.’” Today, the summer months remain the best for business, although Amsellem, who has designed the official scarves for the Olympique de Marseille football team since he was a teenager (his father ran the club shop), admits he would love to have more local customers.
Biggest boutiques around the world are paying close attention to Jogging’s moves. In July, just days after Amsellem announced on Instagram that Jogging was going to be the first retailer of the Korean beauty brand Pink WonderPinkWonder’s sales team received a call from Le Bon Marché in Paris, the world’s oldest department store, requesting a meeting. “I am the mother store for many brands,” Amsellem says proudly, citing labels such as Jacquemus, Anthony Vaccarello and Blumarine as brands she stocked when not many others did.
Next, he wants to go big. “I’d like to get into the luxury market – Prada, Loewe and Miu Miu – and that’s a different game.” But he is able to take stock of a plan that has been realised. “My first vision was to make this city international. To invite the world to Marseille.” Ten years on, a week in the city has become a fashion fixture, and other Marseille hangouts with an aesthetic spirit, such as Tuba Club, Épicerie l’Idéal and La Mercerie, have followed suit. “It’s working,” he jokes, “because it’s being done by people who are better than me and have more money. And together we are a force.”