l'oréal
Le Visionnaire
Heritage and
Innovation Center

Experience & interactive Media design
Local PRojects

CD: Erik Mika
With: Naomi Seixas, Keeli Shaw, jaein lee, Frances Grogan, guillaume marais
Partners: Moatti & Rivière

2023

L'Oréal transformed its historic 1938 headquarters on Rue Royale, Paris, into le visionnaire, a collaborative hub where employees from 36 brands converge to share tools and contexts. The reimagined venue bridges heritage and modernity, exemplified by architect Alain Moatti's striking integration of an elegant glass structure within the classical building, creating a space that enhances L'Oréal's internal creative capabilities while honoring its rich history.

The journey begins in La Route, featuring a cabinet-of-wonder display of L'Oréal's archives where interactive media merges with historical products. Within 25 individual niches, illuminated drawers and cabinets showcase artifacts that tell fascinating stories, from vintage blonde hair dye packages used in the building's first women's hairdressing schools to the evolution of groundbreaking sunscreen technology. In Les Marques, visitors immerse themselves in a multi-sensory brand experience, where hidden projectors and dynamic media create customizable presentations showcasing the company's six core product categories - haircare, hair color, fragrance, makeup, skincare, and body care.

At the heart of the glass structure lies Le Visionnaire, a technology-driven creative space where machine learning curates millions of live images, sorting them by color composition and semantic content such as shapes, patterns, and architectural features. This innovative system enables employees to create dynamic moodboards where each addition triggers new, relevant imagery, fostering meaningful connections and inspiring creative exploration in real-time.