TEMPUS
A look back at an exceptional show at the Musée d'Orsay.
On July 3, 2025, the Espero workshop was at the Musée d'Orsay for the presentation of TEMPUS, a collection designed by Johanna Acevedo in collaboration with the museum and our workshop.
TEMPUS is above all an approach. Each piece in the collection was crafted from recycled materials or surplus stock from major luxury houses. Assembled ribbons become textiles, leather scraps are restructured, metal chains turn into embroidery beads, hand-woven velvet ribbons create entirely new surfaces. An approach that reflects values we fully share at Espero: valuing materials, working with care, and giving meaning to every gesture.
What made this evening particularly meaningful for us was seeing the work of our teams in the spotlight. Several workshop members, refugees whose expertise is at the heart of our work, contributed directly to the making of the collection, in close collaboration with Johanna Acevedo. Every garment presented bears the mark of this collective effort.
The collection also included three leather bags, born from an unprecedented collaboration with artisans from the Musée d'Orsay: a master blacksmith, a painting restorer, and a carpenter joined their expertise to design these unique pieces. Objects that perfectly illustrate the spirit of TEMPUS; a dialogue between disciplines, between eras, between expert hands.
Presenting this work in a venue as steeped in history as the Musée d'Orsay gave the evening a special resonance. TEMPUS explores the relationship with time, identity, and transformation—themes that echo the everyday life of our workshop and the journeys of the people who work there.
Thanks to Johanna Acevedo for her vision and trust, to the Musée d'Orsay for this collaboration, and to the entire Espero team who made this project possible.
