Why did you choose Simone de Beauvoir for the United Souls collection?

Women's emancipation, the fight against racism, and the struggle against systems of domination share a fundamental requirement: to recognize every human being as an equal in dignity and rights. It is this conviction that gives Simone de Beauvoir her rightful place in the pantheon of figures of struggle at United Souls.

Simone de Beauvoir: thinking about emancipation to combat domination

Philosopher, writer, and major figure of feminism, Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) profoundly changed our way of thinking about the relationships between women and men.

With The Second Sex, published in 1949, she offers a fundamental reflection on the social construction of inequalities and the mechanisms that allow a society to legitimize the domination of one group over another.

She writes in it:

"Whether it is a race, a caste, a class, or a sex reduced to an inferior condition, the processes of justification are the same. The eternal feminine is the counterpart of the black soul and the Jewish character."

This reflection resonates particularly with the approach of United Souls.

For behind sexism, racism, and the different forms of discrimination lies a common mechanism: to turn a difference into a hierarchy, and then to establish this hierarchy as a natural order to justify injustice.

What stems from historical, political, and social constructions ends up being presented as self-evident, sometimes even as inevitable.

Simone de Beauvoir invites us precisely to deconstruct these supposed self-evidences.

Different struggles, a shared aspiration for dignity

At United Souls, we are convinced that the struggles for emancipation cannot be thought of independently of one another.

From resistance to colonialism to civil rights movements, from feminist struggles to the fight against apartheid, each generation has had to confront systems that claimed to define the place and value of human beings based on their sex, origin, or social condition.

These stories have their own particularities, wounds, and trajectories. But they come together in a universal aspiration: to no longer let the dominant groups decide the humanity of others.

This is also what Simone de Beauvoir teaches us: domination does not rely solely on force. It feeds on representations, traditions, discourses, and prejudices that end up appearing natural to those who perpetuate them.

Combating injustice therefore requires us to question these legacies, to face history, and to have the courage to think differently.

Emancipation also begins with this awareness: the Other is not a threat to our humanity. They are another expression of it.

This reflection finds an echo in the speeches of Christiane Taubira, notably during her appearance on Laurent Ruquier's show on June 9, 2018.

Marie-Claire Laffaire: drawing a thought, transmitting a legacy

<text>Illustration: Marie-Claire Laffaire, Toulouse artist</text>

To pay tribute to Simone de Beauvoir, United Souls called upon the talent of Toulouse illustrator Marie-Claire Laffaire.

Through her drawing, the artist gives a face to this thought of emancipation, accompanied by this essential phrase:

"The eternal feminine is the counterpart of the black soul."

A few words that invite us to reflect on the mechanisms by which societies confine individuals in supposedly immutable identities.

The illustration thus becomes much more than a portrait. It is an invitation to reflection, a means of transmission, and a way to keep this thought alive in the public sphere.

This is the whole meaning of our artistic approach: to make fashion a medium for memory, art a language of resistance, and clothing a way to wear one's convictions.

And because music and struggles share an inseparable history…

At United Souls, each figure of struggle is also associated with a musical universe.

For music possesses this unique power: it crosses borders, accompanies social transformations, and gives voice to aspirations for freedom.

To accompany Simone de Beauvoir, we chose to immerse ourselves in the musical effervescence of 1960s France.

A decade of profound cultural changes, marked by the emergence of a youth claiming new freedoms, shaking up conventions, and gradually imposing its own codes.

This was notably the era of the "yéyés", a term popularized by sociologist Edgar Morin, symbolizing a youth that was beginning to make its voice heard in French society.

To explore this period, United Souls sought the discerning ear of Ciriac Olivier, DJ, selector, and rare vinyl enthusiast.

A true prospector of 45 rpm records, Ciriac explores with curiosity the territories of heavy funk, exotica, garage rock, and early reggae.

A host on Campus FM Toulouse, notably through his shows Orange Street and Discorama, he passionately shares musical treasures that are as rare as they are precious.

A selection to travel back to an era when aspirations for freedom were also expressed through music, dance, and popular culture.

Enjoy the music, and above all, share it without moderation!

Wearing memory, keeping struggles alive

By choosing Simone de Beauvoir, United Souls reminds us that the history of human emancipation is not limited to one era, one continent, or a single struggle.

It belongs to all those who refused that difference could justify inequality.

Because equality should never be a concession granted by the dominant groups, but the recognition of a humanity that we all share.