Dezeen Magazine

Pigalle Duperré is a colourful basketball court tucked between a row of Parisian apartments

Ill-Studio has collaborated with French fashion brand Pigalle to create a multicoloured basketball court between a row of buildings in the 9th arrondissement of Paris (+ slideshow).

Pigalle Duperré by Ill Studio

Named after its location, the court is situated on Rue Duperré and was first renovated by Pigalle founder Stephane Ashpool and Nike in 2009.

Pigalle Duperré by Ill Studio

Last year, the two Paris-based studios came together to update the court and create a backdrop for the Pigalle Basketball Spring Summer 2015 presentation.

Pigalle Duperré by Ill Studio

The Pigalle label was founded in June 2009 and the brand launched its second line, Pigalle Basketball, in 2014.

Pigalle Duperré by Ill Studio

"Stephane Ashpool, the founder and designer of Pigalle, has been playing on this court and training kids there for several years now," Paris-baed Ill-Studio told Dezeen. "We first updated the design in 2014 as a collaboration with Stephane for the launch of the Pigalle Basketball store that is located just in front of the court."

Pigalle Duperré by Ill Studio

Ill-Studio took inspiration from a 1930s artwork called Sportsmen by Russian artist Kasimir Malevich – a boldly coloured oil painting that depicts four figures stood side by side.

Pigalle Duperré by Ill Studio

"Sportsmen is one of our favourite paintings of all time," said the studio. "We were attracted to the subjects of the painting, but also the strong colours and graphic composition that matched the direction we had in mind."

Pigalle Duperré by Ill Studio

Panels of blue, white, red and yellow ethylene propylene diene monome (EPDM) rubber – a synthetic material commonly used in playground and sports areas – have been applied to the floor.

The lower section of the brick walls has been plastered over and painted in the same hues, while the rest has been left in its original state.

Pigalle Duperré by Ill Studio

The Pigalle logo, also designed by Ill-Studio, is placed in the middle of the court as well as painted onto the entrance gate.

Pigalle Duperré by Ill Studio

Pigalle Duperré is the latest addition to a longstanding collaboration between the two brands that began when they shared an office eight years ago.

Pigalle Duperré by Ill Studio

"We used to share an office together, and when Stephane started Pigalle he asked us to design the logo and create the visual identity of the brand," the studio said. "Our collaboration has been ongoing since then. We regularly work together on his collections and some general art direction stuff for the brand."

Pigalle Duperré by Ill Studio

Founded in 2007, Ill-Studio is an "art direction platform" that has previously collaborated with brands including Louis Vuitton, Nike, Chanel and Adidas.

Pigalle Duperré by Ill Studio

Ashpool opened the Pigalle shop in 2008 – naming the store after the area where he grew up.

Pigalle Duperré by Ill Studio

Previously, Ashpool and his mother had been producing fashion shows for labels including Rick Owens and Gareth Pugh – brands he eventually would stock in the Pigalle store.

Pigalle Duperré by Ill Studio

Last year, Nike created a full-sized basketball court with motion-tracking and reactive LED visualisation technology built into the floor to help American basketball star Kobe Bryant teach young players.

Pigalle Duperré by Ill Studio

Photography is by Sebastien Michelini.