My Attempt at Doing the ‘Sarah Andelman Thing’
So, I got really fascinated by Sarah Andelman, you know, the brain behind colette in Paris. Everyone talks about that place, the curation, the vibe. It sounded amazing, like some kind of magic formula for ‘cool’. I thought, maybe I could try a tiny version of that myself. Not a whole shop, obviously, but maybe just curating a small section online, or even just for a small project I was working on.
First Step: The Big Idea Hunting
I started by trying to find unique stuff. Andelman made it look easy, mixing high fashion with streetwear, weird gadgets, books, art… everything looked like it belonged together. I spent hours, days actually, scrolling through obscure websites, contacting small artists I found on social media, looking for things that felt special and undiscovered. Sounds fun, right? Well, it was exhausting.
- Finding truly unique things is hard. A lot of ‘unique’ stuff online is just the same dropshipped junk with a different label.
- Contacting artists or small makers? Hit or miss. Some were great, others never replied, or their minimum orders were way too big for my little experiment.
- Trying to get that ‘mix’? Man, that’s tough. Putting a cheap, fun gadget next to a carefully crafted ceramic piece… it needs a certain eye, and honestly, I wasn’t sure I had it. It often just looked messy.
Getting bogged down in the details
Then came the practical stuff. Getting samples, figuring out shipping if I were to actually sell anything, taking decent photos. It wasn’t just about having good taste. Colette wasn’t just taste; it was logistics, connections, probably a ton of money, and non-stop work. Andelman had brands begging to be in her store. Me? I was begging small Etsy sellers to maybe consider sending me one item.
I tried setting up a small corner in my workspace with the few things I managed to gather. A couple of zines from an independent publisher, a weirdly shaped lamp I found, some graphic tees from a student designer. I arranged them, rearranged them, took pictures. It felt… okay. But it didn’t have that spark, that feeling colette supposedly had.
What I figured out
Basically, I realized that what Sarah Andelman did wasn’t just ‘shopping for cool things’. It was a massive operation built on years of experience, deep connections in multiple industries, and a relentless pace. That kind of curation isn’t just a skill, it’s a whole ecosystem she built around herself.
My little experiment didn’t turn into anything big. It mostly just showed me how incredibly difficult it is to replicate something that looks effortless from the outside. It gave me a huge amount of respect for what she achieved. It’s not just about knowing what’s cool; it’s about making it all happen, day in, day out. My attempt? It was mostly just a reality check. A tough one.
