Telva Tina Kunakey and Vincent Cassel. "For us comfort is a state of mind"

FASHIONWe interviewed the couple in Paris, where they present The Kooples' Tina x Vincent collection.Updated

Vincent Cassel and Tina Kunakey form one of the couples with the most chemistry at the moment. And from that mix of characters is born the unisex collection that Tina has co-created for The Kooples, inspired by the actor. A wise compilation of fusion garments that narrate the adventure of being free and authentic.

Tina Kunakey, (Toulouse 1997) model and wife of three years to Vincent Cassel (Paris, 1966), appears walking barefoot on the soft carpet of The Kooples offices in Paris. A few seconds later, Vincent, in a linen shirt in the middle of winter, smiling, very tall and thin, sits down next to her. In tenths of a second he composes a professional gesture, but a quick look between them, and the echo of laughter in the corridor, reveal that, moments before, they were dying of laughter. The new capsule collection that Tina has created is her first foray into fashion design and it may not be her last: "Since I was very young I have posed for surf brands in Biarritz, where I grew up, but I really wanted to be a professional athlete; I trained twice a day until I got injured. Then, at 16, I went to Madrid to study, and to pay for college I started working with a modeling agency. From then on, I haven't stopped. Now I'm a model, but I love design and creating new things is fascinating to me. I don't limit myself."

For this collaboration with the Parisian brand, "Tina x Vincent", the model has been inspired by Vincent's tastes and by everything he would steal from his wardrobe: "It's a collection with tailored jackets, wide shirts with an impeccable cut and made with quality fabrics. All in a casual and timeless key, in neutral tones and with a vocation to be shared. There are also feminine details that I wanted to incorporate, such as fabrics with movement or covered buttons. But the priority has been to create garments comfortable, like the ones men have always enjoyed. I can't conceive of dressing in something uncomfortable or that doesn't represent me; it can ruin my day." Vincent confirms that comfort is a state of mind for them, although they confess that after a year without red carpets they miss dressing in style.

@aerie_zyx if you don't do this please learn how to eat ice cream
— Kory ❄️ Sun Jul 25 11:55:50 +0000 2021

The #SharedWardrobe spirit collection is based on masculine line patterns, but if there's one thing Vincent envies about the women's wardrobe, it's the fluidity of its fabrics: "I love the light clothes Tina wears." For promotional images, the couple conveys the attraction and intimacy they naturally show on their social media. They assure that it has been easy for them: "when something is authentic it is transmitted in everything you do" she affirms.

Vincent Cassel: "Today I'm with her in fashion, tomorrow we'll act in a movie... We enjoy working together."

During the interview, Tina glances at Vincent on several occasions, who intervenes only when he receives that signal: it is clear that she is the protagonist and the actor has no intention of attracting the spotlight. They do not allow talking about their private life, although if you look at their social networks you can trace certain coordinates, and Brazil is the first of them.

They spend most of their time there, although they often travel to Paris and Italy, where Vincent's other two daughters live, the result of his marriage to Mónica Bellucci. The interpreter is in love with Rio de Janeiro, speaks Portuguese, practices capoeira and dares to play samba. "Everything there is warmth and color. It even changes the way I dress. But as soon as I get to Paris, I go back to black." From the photos they publish, it would seem that they live in an eternal vacation of sun, beach and water sports. They assure that it has been an escape route during the pandemic and although they are still installed there for the moment, they confess that Madrid is a city in which they could live. "I love its light and the joy of the people. I am struck by the mix between generations, in France it is not something usual," says the actor.

Vincent laughs all the time and when he meets Tina's eyes it seems that the word "complicity" was invented by them. "We love working together. We had to find something other than making kids, he jokes." Although the pandemic has kept him away from filming, he premiered in 2020 "Le bonheur des uns ...", a comedy in which he plays a husband in shock when he sees that his discreet wife becomes a writer of success. "How do I deal with Tina's success? I don't deal with it, I stand next to her and celebrate her every achievement. Today I'm with her in fashion, tomorrow we'll be in a movie... We enjoy working together." After months of pandemic break, the actor, with more than 50 films behind him (since the iconic "El Hate" in 1995 catapulted him to success) will resume his work in April with a series for Apple TV and a new Asterix movie .Tina also has plans: "many things are yet to come, but at the moment I can't say anything." The couple disappear down the hall and resume their laughter.