Interview: Maxime Buchi, Founder of Sang Bleu

Founder of the renowned tattoo studio Sang Bleu in Dalston, Maxime Buchi, born in Lausanne, Switzerland, is a multidisciplinary artist based in Stoke Newington; his fortes span tattooing and clothing design to politics and publishing. Despite having Kanye West and Rick Owens among his clientele, Maxime maintains Sang Bleu as an independent chameleon capable of surviving multiple transformations while retaining the same vision. Working at an intersection between sociology and art, in recent years he has noticed a growing exigency for pluralism, a phenomena clearly seen in social media. What began as a publication back in 2004 has evolved into an all-encompassing platform for connecting people. Something Curated speaks to Maxime about the chain of events which brought him to London, and the ethos behind his multidisciplinary tattoo studio that is making Kingsland Road the epicentre of a subcultural movement.

Something Curated: How did you get into this industry? What was your personal journey?

Maxime Buchi: Back in my hometown Lausanne I had initially completed a bachelors in Psychology and Human Science, then later went on to complete a second BA in Graphic Design and Book Design at the École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne; I briefly taught there. I moved to Zurich, then Paris where I worked with various design agencies, then I moved to London from Paris.

Sang Bleu started 10 years ago when I first moved to London. At the beginning it was mainly a magazine. It was a relatively natural thing to do because I felt I had something to say or express.Existing magazines covered only one area: Art, Fashion, Tattooing, etc. But I hung around people who had an interest for all the above and no media represented this. Especially, tattoo publications had absolutely no interest for contemporary art or fashion. I wanted to create a media that really represented the lifestyle of culture I, and many other yourg people lived in really. A lifestyle much more culturally transversal than the one the 80’s magazine represented. I chose this format because of my background. It was easy for me to conceive, produce, lay out and manage a magazine.

During the 90s, the Internet led to a crossover, progressively people started feeling less of a need to stick to just one genre. I witnessed this first on Myspace, the first real social media, and that’s where Sang Bleu really started. I was interested in communities, the social aspect was important from the very beginning. Social media allowed me to start with no money at all, just my computer and a small camera. Then I borrowed £3000 to print the first issue.

Admittedly I was initially frustrated by the world of graphic design. At the same time, I was developing an understanding and appreciation for tattooing and had been getting tattooed since my early twenties. The person who tattooed me offered to take me as an apprentice back in Lausanne, which was an amazing opportunity; that’s how we usually enter this gated and self-protective industry. Becoming an artist and employing people was the logical next step.

SC: What is it about Dalston that drew you in and what does London offer you as a tattoo artist?

MB: Switzerland wasn’t very welcoming to my ideas and personality. It is much more now, but back in the day, the country wasn’t really used to dealing with anything original. You try to do things and you realise people don’t support you. I needed to be in an environment that embraces difference. For a while I had been drawn to the Anglo-Saxon culture, American youth culture, but I was attracted to an urban lifestyle you don’t really find in Switzerland in general. Going to the US wasn’t really an option. I had the opportunity to come here for a European Social forum during my political years, studied at city council, got bored of institutional politics so I got involved with more alternative libertarian movements. Also I got into publishing, did workshops and got involved in social movements. I wanted to create things and make them happen. From a young age I always wanted to do things, I loved debating and discussing ideas. I disliked theory without practice and needed to go somewhere that embraces action a little more.

Unless you’re born and raised in London, it’s so big, you usually end up committing to a certain part. The very first time I came to London, I stayed in Brixton, it blew my mind. But then, in 2005 when I actually moved to London, I stayed in Homerton and then Cheshire street, that was when I met people in the East. You always look for a healthy balance between somewhere where there aren’t too many tattoo studios and somewhere where there are people who want it. Dalston seemed like the natural place, there were no high profile tattoo studios in the area at the time, which was convenient as I didn’t want to step on anyone else’s toes

SC: Tell us a little about the space you occupy and how that reflects Sang Bleu.

MB: What now constitutes the studio was initially just a big empty space with the pillars, and we built it very naturally with nothing. We saw the space and we liked it right away. This studio represents a side of Sang Bleu, but not everything. Beyond the tattoos which adorn the walls, for me it represents something which is also very intrinsically London, my adoptive home. We are friends with the fashion designers upstairs; the space represents an East London cultural entourage and its unique identity and spirit. But that’s just relevant to England and the Dalston tattoo studio, just one facet. We also have a new shop in Zurich which represents other aspects of Sang Bleu. I go there on a semi-regular basis.

SC: Tell us about Sang Bleu in your own words and the vision/ethos behind it?

MB: Sang Bleu, meaning “blue blood” in French, was really born from the idea of exposing this intersection of cultures in a way I thought made sense. Blue blood is symbolic of nobility, and the word play with blue ink and blood is almost accidental. The idea of referencing nobility was really a statement about contemporary culture. A culture where traditional values such as “high” or “noble” and then “sub” or “vile” or “popular” don’t apply anymore. Young people have a transversal and holistic perception of culture.

SC: What differentiates Sang Bleu from other tattoo studios?

MB: When we first arrived there wasn’t much here, but East London is developing its tattoo industry in a very interesting way, it’s now the best place for tattooing in London, if not the world. Now in East London, there is Old Habits and Parliament Tattoo down the street, there’s also Dharma. Kingsland road is becoming the place for tattooing. We have different styles, the mutual presence pushes people to focus on certain styles.

Sticking together and being coherent is important and I send my clients to other studios; there is a strong sense of solidarity and loyalty in this industry. The tattoo industry can only be as good as it is now, there are no institutions advertising it and it is self-organised. There’s also some crossover. Tattooists are not artists, you can get the same tattoo, however innovative, from at least 20 people in the world. People don’t come here just for the tattoo or the studio, people do their research looking at different shops and their preferred aesthetic. People tend to come to us because of our cleaner, minimalistic look.

SC: Tell us about some of the tattoo’s that Sang Bleu is famous for? What’s one of your personal favourites?

MB: We really do every type. When I started 7 years ago I was very influenced by Thomas Hooper and Duncan X, they were the originators of so-called  blackwork. I don’t like this term but it seems to be the term people use now. Liam Sparkes and myself were pretty much the first people after Thomas and Duncan to take this and make it into a coherent style, and we had multiple influences from here and abroad. We took it progressively, digested it, and in turn created a huge wave. I believe we were at the very early stages of this movement; we popularised it through travel and networking. Many artists do it now which is a sign that it is a real relevant evolution.  My idea was to introduce to tattooing influences of classic art history from architecture to sacred geometry, engraving etc. Things that didn’t belong to the traditional tattoo motifs but de facto belong to traditional iconography. This opened tattooing as a relevant artistic expression to people who wouldn’t have identified with traditional tattoo-aesthetics.

SC: Tell us about some of your collaborations… 

MB: We are quite self-sufficient and I’ve worked very hard to achieve this. It was a natural consequence of the way I am. From conception to design, production, distribution and sale, be in publishing of clothing, we do it all with occasional help.

SC: Beyond the tattoo studio Sang Bleu is also a gallery space a publishing house and a clothing line. What other projects are you involved in or have you been involved in?

MB: We have many other projects in the works, though I’m not really sure what I can talk about. The publishing and the clothing line have recently been undergoing a sort of budding stage; the former was big and I put it on hold a few years ago. It’s not a side thing but I do intend on relaunching and rebranding these as standalone projects. By next year Sang Bleu will be better structured and able to also function as a creative agency.

SC: Who are some of the tattoo artists currently in residence at Sang Bleu, and how do other tattoo artists end up collaborating with Sang Bleu?

MB: We have a good core crew constituted by Ruby May, Dan Crowe, Eszter, Malvina, Wolfgang, Ant the Elder, Antoine Larrey, Jack aka Tattoos For Your Enemies, Javi Rodriguez. And we have guests on a regular basis.

SC: What’s your work outfit of choice?

MB:The work we do is very physical so I need to dress casually and comfortably; I often wear tracksuits and t-shirts. But I try to have fun with my style nonetheless. Lately I have been wearing more polos too. They are good to work in. And on my day offs I like to dress up a little bit more.

SC: Why do you think Sang Bleu has such a following?

MB: Sang Bleu filled a void from the beginning; it just answered something. As I said earlier, there is no formula, We are only interested in the relevance of what we do, while not compromising our identity and values. Schematically, a traditional approach is to only stick to a rigid idea while the current mentality is to only look for gratification and approval. Neither is sustainable on the long term. We strive for the right middle ground.

SC: Finish this sentence: “Always …”

MB: … stick to what you believe in because if you fail, better to fail for something you believe in rather than something you didn’t believe in from the get-go.

SC: Finish this sentence: “Never …”

MB: … think that moving on from something is the end of something. It’s only the beginning of the next thing. This is so important. Without this advice I would have moved on a long time ago.

SC: Favourite place to relax?

MB: At home with my family.

SC: Favourite place to shop?  

MB: I prefer to shop online.

SC: Favourite restaurant?

MB: No favourite restaurant, I am very open-minded. I like to eat at fine dining places; it’s good to get a bit of alone time and treat myself and my wife. We like quieter places in the west, or sometimes the Shard for special occasions.

SC: Favourite holiday destination or where would you live if not London?

MB: I don’t really go on holiday. Luckily I often travel by myself or with my entire family for work, which I do whenever I want; we always take a few days off to enjoy. I like different places. I like Paris and Portland. My wife is from California; I like the northern part of the country and the Pacific-North West. I enjoy a bit of green. We go to Switzerland and Italy often too as my grandmother was Italian. In the end it’s not the destination I enjoy but the journey.

Interview and Photography by Elizabeth Gear Accompanied by Michael Vince Kim for Something Curated