There are some things we cannot grasp. Air is one of them. Yet Lalique creates sculptures out of it.
Starting in September 2026, Lalique will continue its poetic exploration of the four elements with Chapter II of the Lalique Air collection. After fire, earth, and water, it is air—the most elusive, the closest to the invisible—that inspires three complementary themes: Papillons, Teddy Air, and Alizé. Handcrafted in Lalique’s historic workshop in Alsace, these pieces reflect the continuity of a tradition of craftsmanship without ever being confined by it.
Papillons: Capturing Flight
The first collection is called Papillons, and it may be the one that best captures the fundamental paradox of the Lalique approach. Crystal is a dense, cold, precise material. The butterfly embodies volatility, fragility, and ephemeral life. In the pieces of this collection, a swarm of butterflies seems suspended within the crystal—as if time had been frozen in the very act of flight.
This is not a metaphor for luxury: it is the very definition of luxury. Preserving what is disappearing. Giving a permanent form to that which, by nature, has none. Here, Lalique does what the great houses have always done, but with a particular awareness of what is at stake—crystal is the only material translucent enough to let light shine through the object, yet strong enough to withstand the test of time.
Teddy Air: Lightness as a Paradox
Teddy Air shifts the focus toward something more unexpected. The interpretation is neo-pop: the memory of an inflatable balloon—that light, almost insubstantial toy—becomes a tender, luminous crystal sculpture. Lightness is no longer inherent to the object itself—it is suggested, constructed, and imposed by art.
The heaviest material expresses the most absolute lightness. It takes a certain composure to draw inspiration from a child’s balloon and turn it into a crystal piece that belongs to the same family as the decorative arts of the 20th century. This is what Lalique achieves in this collection: transforming the familiar into the unfamiliar, and the unfamiliar into the desirable.
Alizé: the breeze transformed into light
The Alizé lighting collection strikes a different note. A gentle breeze, barely named—the alizé, that wind sailors know as a constant, reliable, almost personal companion—is translated into sculptural pieces where crystal becomes light, movement, and sensation. Though the air is invisible, we can sense it in the way the light passes through the material.
These light fixtures do more than just provide light. They define the space around them, create an atmosphere, and transform the room they’re in. That’s the promise of large decorative objects: not to blend into an interior, but to redefine it.
Air de Lalique Chapter II is coming in September 2026. Straddling heritage and modernity, the Alsatian manufactory and contemporary formal exploration, the House reaffirms that the most sustainable luxury is that which continues to find new ways to articulate the indescribable. Until then, we can continue to breathe.
Cette publication est également disponible en :
