“If there is a model that I don’t want to reach, it’s the fast fashion model,” Antoine Roset says. On the terrace of the Palais de Tokyo, the Eiffel Tower glorious in the distance, Roset explains how he and Olivier, his cousin and co-chief executive officer, have been easing the tempo at which their family’s renowned brand, Ligne Roset, operates. From launching fewer products each year to showing them in an exhibition and mini trade fair at the Palais every April before Milan Design Week, they are embracing a praxis that’s very much in contrast to the hyper accelerated direction of much design production, both in how it’s manufactured and how it’s communicated. They are also responding to the very real economics that make selling furniture far different from selling frocks: The prototype debuts of this year might not be in production, and thus available to consumers, until next.

That’s not to say that the brand isn’t creating captivating collections: Over the course of four days in April, Ligne Roset launched novelties in curated vignettes that elegantly domesticated the raw interiors of the Palais de Tokyo and invited people to make themselves comfortable. “You can’t judge a piece of furniture if you’re not taking the time to sit in the piece,” Roset says — a fact that, despite its seeming patency, bears repeating. At the same time, the company also reintroduced classics by mid century modernist Pierre Guariche and staged a series of talks on the theme of sustainability, a core concern that Roset describes as part of the family DNA: “We are people who are close to the field and the countryside, and that respect of nature has always been strong in us.” 

Here are three takeaways from our conversation with Ligne Roset’s co-CEO.

“We have to be carbon neutral within the next 10 years — and we have a sustainability plan to address everything, including design, materials and equipment. We’re even going to switch out all our team’s cars and delivery trucks for electric ones.” As for materials, cork is the star (and anagram) of Kroc, a multi-use piece by Robin Thannberger that debuted this year.

“We’re a French manufacturer of contemporary furniture, but we also want to be a cultural reference and make sure that the greatest French design from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s is produced properly. That’s why we have taken over the entire rights to the Pierre Guariche collection worldwide.” Guariche designed the Vallée Blanche chaise longue in 1963 while collaborating on the La Plagne ski resort.

“Cinna, our young designer incubator, is an annual competition with participants from all around Europe and a prize at the end. It gives us a huge database of young designers to work with. For all our talent, new and existing, Ligne Roset remains attractive because we are an editor, manufacturer and distributor. We manage the entire chain of value, which is a great thing for a designer.” In the budding talent roster, Constance Frapolli stood out for her many ingenious pieces, including the Soufflé pouffe and Ressac side tables; the well-established Sebastian Herkner debuted the Noka sofa system, a nod to Japanese design.