COMMON LANGUAGE
As part of the Chantelle Group, Chantelle is pleased to introduce Common Language, a new magazine offering a different perspective on lingerie and society.
Rediscovering our own land
While previous issues of Common Language took us on voyages to faraway countries and cultures (including Japan, Senegal, or even the USA), this fifth issue proposes a destination which might seem more familiar because the issue is dedicated to France. Faced with the transformations provoked by the health crisis, rediscovering our own land seemed essential to us, plunging into its landscapes, sharing its talents, telling its stories. Thus, this issue welcomes two dancers with very different profiles who share the same passion: the star Letizia Galloni and the queen of waacking, Mariana Benenge. Both are equally distinguished by their courage to speak up in support of important causes. We find the same commitment with writer Grace Ly, who, in her book but also through the discussions she sets up, opens up a dialogue and reminds us that we always have much to learn from others. It’s also the unbridled imagination of Bonnie Banane, who makes the French language sing like no one else.
New Tales
Whether they are popular or dissenting, beginners or seasoned veterans, full of anger or serene, the guests of this fourth issue have a common denominator: unhindered passion. Each progresses with an inspiring determination and a sharp sense of commitment; so many examples, messages, and symbols we would like to share here in Common Language. There are those who make words dance, like poet I.S. Jones or musician Wavy The Creator. There are those who invent new universes, like artist Zohra Opoku whose work endlessly weaves links between intimate accounts and major history. Without forgetting those who contribute to opening minds, like hairdresser Cyndia Harvey, who is shifting the lines of fashion, or conductor Uèle Lamore, who blows away any limiting labels.
Beyond Appearances
A vast archipelago full of contrasts, with unique and enviable cultural diversity, Japan remains a land of mysteries whose many secrets are endlessly fascinating. Between pop imagery and Zen philosophy, past and future, popular myths and well-kept secrets, Japanese culture acknowledges and accepts its contradictions and plurality. In this third issue of Common Language, we highlight how the balance between tradition and modernity specific to Japanese culture is represented through the various talents of women, all who invite us to think on a broader scale, to better understand our surroundings, ourselves, and to see beyond appearances.
Defining our utopia
This issue of Common Language opens its pages to women who prove that what is best for the future is not utopian, but a vision to defend. Using the United States, with it’s mash-up of territories with various cultures, as a backdrop, we place focus on women with singular destinies and melodies who have accompanied major societal upheavals. For all, it is not a question here of retracing history but of seeing how this melting pot has enabled different voices to emerge that are heard and respected—showcasing those who have deftly brought people together, within their communities and beyond.
Towards a Common Language
This first issue delves into the language of art, which connects the most distant cultures and starts dialogue that goes beyond stereotypes. There is a misunderstanding that opposes the individual and the collective. It is undoubtedly reinforced by the contradictions of our time, when geographical borders are increasingly up for debate and authenticity vanishes through digital technology. Yet the collective remains a sum of individualities. It is the diversity of the latter that tends to make them thought of as entities with incompatible values all brought together by a shared language. One used by bodies to tell a story, one that is always singular and unique.