Ramdane Touhami is a French-Moroccan creative director, designer, entrepreneur, and publisher known for his ability to reinvent heritage brands and craft strong visual identities rooted in culture and storytelling. Over the past three decades, he has worked across fashion, beauty, design, and print, building a career defined by independence and experimentation.
Across all his work, Touhami moves between disciplines with precision and instinct, often reviving overlooked formats and forgotten techniques to speak to the present.
Recognized with France's Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres honor in 2020, Touhami has inspired a young generation of entrepreneurs to prioritize craft over efficiency, authenticity over trends, and cultural specificity over global uniformity.
Ramdane Touhami was born in 1974 in Montauban, in the south west of France. His fascination with street culture, typography, and subversive style and the DIY ethos shaped his earliest projects. He launched his first brand as a teenager, selling T-shirts printed with bold slogans and graphic compositions, quickly gaining attention for his instinctive approach to branding. In 1997, he co-opened his first concept store L'EPICERIE in Paris, a space that blended fashion, music, books, and art into a tightly curated environment. These early ventures laid the groundwork for his multidisciplinary practice, driven by independence, speed, and a refusal to follow established rules.
In 2000, he moved to Tokyo to relaunch the Japanese brand And.A as artistic director, redefining its collections, retail spaces, and visual identity from the ground up. He oversaw all aspects of design, from product curation to store architecture. In 2003, he launched R.T, a refined line of handcrafted clothing made with custom fabrics developed in Japan. That same year, he introduced Resistance, an urban-inspired brand celebrating political icons, presented in a concept store called the “bureau politique” in Paris, which prefigured the pop-up trend and featured collaborations with Philippe Parreno and the Black Panther Party.
He has collaborated for several international department stores, such as Liberty in London where he reimagined the menswear section and reinvented the entire line and merchandising in 2003, or Santa Eulalia in Barcelona for which he designed a perfume bar in 2010.
Ramdane Touhami played a key role in the reinvention of CIRE TRUDON, the historic French candle maker founded in 1643. Brought on to reinvent the brand in 2006, he led a complete overhaul of its identity, product line, and retail presence. Drawing from the company’s royal and ecclesiastical past, he reintroduced forgotten motifs, developed richly scented wax formulas, and designed packaging that emphasized the brand’s baroque heritage without falling into pastiche. By combining historical depth with sharp design, he helped position Cire Trudon as a modern benchmark in luxury candles while staying true to its artisanal roots.
One of Touhami’s most celebrated achievements is the revival of OFFICINE UNIVERSELLE BULY, a Parisian apothecary brand originally founded in 1803. Together with his partner Victoire de Taillac, he reimagined every facet of the brand: developing hundreds of unique products, designing richly detailed packaging inspired by 19th-century aesthetics, and building a global network of stores where every detail from marbled counters to custom calligraphy is carefully considered. Under his creative direction, Buly became a benchmark for how heritage can be reactivated without nostalgia, balancing rigorous historical research with a bold visual language. What began as a single store on rue Bonaparte evolved into a global phenomenon with 51 stores across nine countries, and led to its acquisition by LVMH in 2021.
Ramdane is the founder and art director of the Paris-based creative studio ART RECHERCHE ET INDUSTRIE. Launched in 2019, the studio works across branding, spatial design, typography, photography, product development, and retail scenography, with all creative work produced in-house to maintain full control over execution and detail. Clients include heritage brands like Christofle and Moynat, luxury houses like Louis Vuitton and Gucci, fashion giant Zara for which he has created an international brand of cafés and several stores, and lifestyle names like Moncler. The studio has also developed visual identities and store concepts for global retailers including Parco in Tokyo, combining narrative depth with meticulous craftsmanship.
In 2024, Ramdane reopened the HOTEL DREI BERGE in Mürren, Switzerland after a careful redesign reinterprets a century-old mountain inn with playful sophistication and a deep respect for local architecture. Perched at 1,638 meters on a cliffside facing the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau peaks, the hotel was reimagined with a pine green façade, chevron shutters, and interiors that mix vintage pieces, custom carpets, and mid-century furniture. Each of the 19 rooms features playful details like mountain prints and monogrammed linens made in Italy. The lobby and restaurant combine regional woodwork with quirky touches and a cinematic mood, while a Japanese chef offers cuisine mixing alpine staples with worldwide flavors.
Touhami’s interest in craft, typography, and printed matter has deep roots in his career. He launched one of his earliest brands, R.T., as a streetwear line in Paris before moving to Tokyo, where he absorbed elements of Japanese retail culture and design precision that continue to influence his work. In Japan, he collaborated with influential figures including Rei Kawakubo and developed stores that blended editorial, product, and installation in equal measure.
This sensibility culminated in his boutiques WORDS SOUNDS COLORS & SHAPES, which opened in Paris in September 2024 and in Tokyo in May 2025. These spaces function as both shops and visual essays. Everything in the stores—from their graphic system to the objects on display—reflected a commitment to form, materiality, and language as artistic tools. These boutiques bring together clothes and objects designed by Ramdane, alongside a café, art galleries, and a bookstore.
Ramdane’s clothing brand DIE DREI BERGE focuses on high-quality materials and production methods, guided by a strong interest in sustainability and social impact. Touhami has spent years visiting factories around the world, studying textile traditions and techniques to identify exceptional craftsmanship, regardless of origin. This approach informs his work on a new model for clothing, where each element from the type of cotton or wool to the machinery used in production is chosen with care and purpose. The result is a considered wardrobe that includes garments and accessories made with minimal use of synthetic materials. Free from seasonal cycles, new pieces are released only when they meet the studio’s standards.
Ramdane Touhami also runs SOCIÉTÉ PARISIENNE D’IMPRESSION TYPOGRAPHIQUE, his own experimental printing press and graphic production studio. Conceived as both a workshop and a tool for self-publishing, the press allows him to explore letterpress and nearly extinct techniques such as pendulum stamping with a focus on precision, texture, and typographic invention. It operates as a space of creative autonomy, where graphic design, political messaging, and material culture intersect, often feeding into his publishing and exhibition projects.
He has recently begun new projects in publishing and archiving, first with the magazine USELESS FIGHTERS, a new publication about mountains, nature, and travel which explores the spirit of adventure through stories, photography, and design, focusing on landscapes and mountains as a starting point to look at creativity, politics and culture. Two issues have been published by PERMANENT FILES, a creative platform Ramdane has launched with fellow art director Léonard Vernhet.
This year, he has announced the creation of the RADICAL MEDIA ARCHIVE in collaboration with Émile Shahidi, a foundation dedicated to preserving the visual and political legacy of underground newspapers, revolutionary graphics, and alternative press from the 1960s to the 1980s. Building on Ramdane's personal collection accumulated over decades, they have assembled a significant collection of rare printed matter and are developing ways to share it through exhibitions, publications, and digital formats.
Through every project, Ramdane strives to explore the intersection of aesthetics and politics, craft and communication, memory and invention. Going against an increasingly homogenized landscape, his ideology of “aesthetic deglobalization” honors local culture: Paris stores feature 18th-century carved cabinets, New York embraces Art Deco, Tokyo blends Zen minimalism with French aesthetics, and Milan integrates with local character.
His work proves that placing culture at the center of commerce creates not just profitable businesses but meaningful institutions, and shows his belief in the power of design as the most effective form of language. Structured, emotional, and deeply engaged with the world.
Born in 1974 in Montauban, Ramdane Touhami is a French-Moroccan creative director, designer, entrepreneur, and publisher known for his ability to reinvent heritage brands and craft strong visual identities rooted in culture and storytelling. Over the past three decades, he has worked across fashion, beauty, design, and print, building a career defined by independence and experimentation.
Across all his work, Touhami moves between disciplines with precision and instinct, often reviving overlooked formats and forgotten techniques to speak to the present.
Ramdane’s ideology of “aesthetic deglobalization” honors local culture: Paris stores feature 18th-century carved cabinets, New York embraces Art Deco, Tokyo blends Zen minimalism with French aesthetics, and Milan integrates with local character.
His work proves that placing culture at the center of commerce creates not just profitable businesses but meaningful institutions.
Recognized with France's Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres honor in 2020, Touhami has inspired a young generation of entrepreneurs to prioritize craft over efficiency, authenticity over trends, and cultural specificity over global uniformity.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, his earliest projects were shaped by a DIY ethos and a fascination with street culture, typography, and subversive style. He launched his first brand as a teenager, selling T-shirts printed with bold slogans and graphic compositions, quickly gaining attention for his instinctive approach to branding. In 1997, he co-opened his first concept store L'EPICERIE in Paris, a space that blended fashion, music, books, and art into a tightly curated environment. These early ventures laid the groundwork for his multidisciplinary practice, driven by independence, speed, and a refusal to follow established rules.
Ramdane Touhami played a key role in the reinvention of CIRE TRUDON, the historic French candle maker founded in 1643. Brought on to reinvent the brand in 2006, he led a complete overhaul of its identity, product line, and retail presence. Drawing from the company’s royal and ecclesiastical past, he reintroduced forgotten motifs, developed richly scented wax formulas, and designed packaging that emphasized the brand’s baroque heritage without falling into pastiche. By combining historical depth with sharp design, he helped position Cire Trudon as a modern benchmark in luxury candles while staying true to its artisanal roots.
One of Touhami’s most celebrated achievements is the revival of OFFICINE UNIVERSELLE BULY, a Parisian apothecary brand originally founded in 1803. Together with his partner Victoire de Taillac, he reimagined every facet of the brand: developing hundreds of unique products, designing richly detailed packaging inspired by 19th-century aesthetics, and building a global network of stores where every detail from marbled counters to custom calligraphy is carefully considered. Under his creative direction, Buly became a benchmark for how heritage can be reactivated without nostalgia, balancing rigorous historical research with a bold visual language. What began as a single store on rue Bonaparte evolved into a global phenomenon with 51 stores across nine countries, and led to its acquisition by LVMH in 2021.
Ramdane is the founder and art director of the Paris-based creative studio ART RECHERCHE ET INDUSTRIE. Launched in 2019, the studio works across branding, spatial design, typography, photography, product development, and retail scenography, with all creative work produced in-house to maintain full control over execution and detail. Clients include heritage brands like Christofle and Moynat, luxury houses like Louis Vuitton and Gucci, fashion giant Zara for which he has created an international brand of cafés and several stores, and lifestyle names like Moncler. The studio has also developed visual identities and store concepts for global retailers including Parco in Tokyo, combining narrative depth with meticulous craftsmanship.
In 2024, Ramdane reopened the HOTEL DREI BERGE in Mürren, Switzerland after a careful redesign reinterprets a century-old mountain inn with playful sophistication and a deep respect for local architecture. Perched at 1,638 meters on a cliffside facing the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau peaks, the hotel was reimagined with a pine green façade, chevron shutters, and interiors that mix vintage pieces, custom carpets, and mid-century furniture. Each of the 19 rooms features playful details like mountain prints and monogrammed linens made in Italy. The lobby and restaurant combine regional woodwork with quirky touches and a cinematic mood, while a Japanese chef offers cuisine mixing alpine staples with worldwide flavors.
Touhami’s interest in craft, typography, and printed matter has deep roots in his career. He launched one of his earliest brands, R.T., as a streetwear line in Paris before moving to Tokyo, where he absorbed elements of Japanese retail culture and design precision that continue to influence his work. In Japan, he collaborated with influential figures including Rei Kawakubo and developed stores that blended editorial, product, and installation in equal measure.
This sensibility culminated in his boutiques WORDS SOUNDS COLORS & SHAPES, which opened in Paris in September 2024 and in Tokyo in May 2025. These spaces function as both shops and visual essays. Everything in the stores—from their graphic system to the objects on display—reflected a commitment to form, materiality, and language as artistic tools. These boutiques bring together clothes and objects designed by Ramdane, alongside a café, art galleries, and a bookstore.
Ramdane’s clothing brand DIE DREI BERGE focuses on high-quality materials and production methods, guided by a strong interest in sustainability and social impact. Touhami has spent years visiting factories around the world, studying textile traditions and techniques to identify exceptional craftsmanship, regardless of origin. This approach informs his work on a new model for clothing, where each element from the type of cotton or wool to the machinery used in production is chosen with care and purpose. The result is a considered wardrobe that includes garments and accessories made with minimal use of synthetic materials. Free from seasonal cycles, new pieces are released only when they meet the studio’s standards.
Ramdane Touhami also runs SOCIÉTÉ PARISIENNE D’IMPRESSION TYPOGRAPHIQUE, his own experimental printing press and graphic production studio. Conceived as both a workshop and a tool for self-publishing, the press allows him to explore letterpress and nearly extinct techniques such as pendulum stamping with a focus on precision, texture, and typographic invention. It operates as a space of creative autonomy, where graphic design, political messaging, and material culture intersect, often feeding into his publishing and exhibition projects.
He has recently begun new projects in publishing and archiving, first with the magazine USELESS FIGHTERS, a new publication about mountains, nature, and travel which explores the spirit of adventure through stories, photography, and design, focusing on landscapes and mountains as a starting point to look at creativity, politics and culture. Two issues have been published by PERMANENT FILES, a creative platform Ramdane has launched with fellow art director Léonard Vernhet.
This year, he has announced the creation of the RADICAL MEDIA ARCHIVE in collaboration with Émile Shahidi, a foundation dedicated to preserving the visual and political legacy of underground newspapers, revolutionary graphics, and alternative press from the 1960s to the 1980s. Building on Ramdane's personal collection accumulated over decades, they have assembled a significant collection of rare printed matter and are developing ways to share it through exhibitions, publications, and digital formats.
Through every project, he strives to explore the intersection of aesthetics and politics, craft and communication, memory and invention. In an increasingly homogenized landscape, each of his projects reflects a belief in the power of design as the most effective form of language. Structured, emotional, and deeply engaged with the world.