Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/384868
54 BAL HARBOUR two continue to share office space. "She's my second mother," Ouchenir says. Secondly, there isn't quite anyone else who does what Ouchenir does. There's a cosmic, philosophical air to how he approaches his work, which focuses on creating entirely unique signatures for his clients while other calligraphers use preset scripts. "I'm sorry, but that's boring," Ouchenir says. Instead, "I create your own A, your own B, your own C. Calligraphy is not fashion. Calligraphy is you." His process begins with parsing who you are, exactly, which may involve having a coffee together or walking the streets of Paris, New York or L.A. "It's a question of senses without asking any questions. I feel the atmosphere," he explains. The next step involves fewer pleasantries and more arduous writing and rewriting, perhaps creating 350 different samples of the potential next Giambattista Valli font, which changes every year. The end product is a manifestation of the brand in script—Van Cleef & Arpels' has a musical quality to it on par with the whimsy of its floral jewels, while Cartier's is decidedly bolder and more masculine. For Rick Owens, Ouchenir sought to create a signature that was slim but also tough, from time to time engraved in swathes of black leather. All the intuiting that goes into Ouchenir's work also lends itself to more intimate applications. "You have letters you never gave to your lover and you want it engraved on their tomb?" he says. "Ask me, and I'll make it for you." He also creates letters to engrave into the skin, frequently designing tattoos for his high-profile clients. Although he refuses to name names, he does allude to having designed an album cover for a certain ex-Mouseketeer, and leaves it at that. Paris Fashion Week is Ouchenir's busiest time—where he hand-addresses hundreds of invitations for the top fashion labels. BELOW, PHOTO BY BRUNO WERZINSKI; ABOVE, PHOTO BY NOEL MANALILI