2023

ARTER is the associate producer and exhibition manager of the 2023 European heritage days at the Kering headquarters.

The building at 40, rue de Sèvres, a jewel of Parisian heritage, dates back to the 17th century. Dedicated to caring for the poor as early as 1634, the Hospice des Incurables [Hospital for the Incurable] became Laennec Hospital in 1878, then underwent a vast rehabilitation project in the early 2010s. In 2016, Kering and Balenciaga established headquarters there.

Eager to ensure that this exceptional heritage site remains open to all, the Group has included the building in the European Heritage Days program since 2016, offering the public a unique annual rendezvous with heritage and contemporary creation.

Kering celebrates its 10th anniversary

The Group’s history is rooted in Brittany where, in 1962, François Pinault founded Etablissements Pinault, a company specializing in wood trading. Fueled by its founder’s daring and vision, the company grew to span the entire wood industry, quickly establishing itself as a major French economic player. The Group then embarked on a remarkable evolution, from the wood trade to specialized distribution and mass retail (PPR), then to luxury goods.

In 2013, PPR became Kering. The Group’s name is as much a nod to its origins as it is to its relationship to its Houses: in the Breton language, ker means “home” or “a place to live.” The name also plays on the sound and meaning of the English word caring, illustrating how the Group sees its role with respect to its Houses, its employees, society, and the environment.