All aboard the Taittinger Express!

This summer, Maison Taittinger take us on a journey
aboard its incredible, timeless train – inspired by Jules Verne’s iconic novel
‘Around the World in Eighty Days’.
Prepare to experience an exclusive journey of your own,
exploring how this campaign was created
with head production designer, Florence Mauduech
while sipping a flute of champagne in one of the finest Italians hotels

This summer, Maison Taittinger revisits a literary classic in a photo campaign: Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days, through a photographic campaign. The production designer Florence Mauduech takes us behind the scenes of this creation.

The novel Around the World in 80 Days is one of Jules’ Verne’s most acclaimed works. Out of the writer’s 62 ‘Extraordinary Voyages’, this story paints the most detailed picture of the era’s technological progress – which was revolutionising transportation by reducing the time it took to travel long distances – and more particularly to three key events that took place in quick succession: the opening of the Suez Canal in Egypt, the construction of the Fréjus Rail Tunnel and the completion of the railway line linking East and West Coast America. Via references to Phileas Fogg’s train travel, the latest photographic campaign from Maison Taittinger will take us on a trip across the globe this summer.

The narrative images take us on a trip to unknown lands alongside an almost personified bottle of Taittinger champagne, but it’s not the destination that counts – it’s the journey.

An interesting journey which will capture our mind. Here are the list of some iconic hotels for a stay, where to be seducted by the unique flavour of Champagne Taittinger and cheer to the summer:

Splendido Portofino, Liguria
Marmore Cervinia
Le Fay Resort Garda Lake
Le Fay Resort Dolomiti
Grand Hotel Gallia, Milan
Villa della Pergola, Alassio, Liguria
Locanda San Vigilio – Garda Lake
Hotel De Russie – Roma
Hotel Villa San Michele – Fiesole, Tuscany
Hotel Four Seasons Florence – Firenze
Hotel Castello di Casole – Casole in Chianti, Tuscany

The backstage by the voice of Florence Mauduech

“It was a team effort. The client and photographic team devised a creative brief and provided an insight into their aims. It was at this point that I stepped in to study budget and feasibility as well as to finalise the writing alongside the photographer. ” Indeed, the photographers asked the production designer – usually approached for film sets – to get on board with the project from the initial conversations about preparing for the shoot.

After reading the script several times, she put forward several design concepts to them. While several universes were originally in the pipeline, the creative team settled on a timeless symbol in the art of travel: the train. “We decided on one big set, more polished in appearance, because we could mainly see it unfolding on the train.”

It was in creating the setting for this campaign that the production designer’s expertise really came in. Once the artistic direction was outlined, Florence Mauduech was responsible for its execution and implementation. To this end, she recruited and led the managers tasked with making decorative elements in the workshop. “With our mood-board as the starting point, we had to think intelligently about every element in the workshop so that the lights and other photographic equipment could be incorporated.” Every detail was thought out, from the luggage rack to the shelving and curtains. “Where we would usually have fun with the décor and toy with a more dreamlike world, we decided to keep it all very realistic, which in a train means using metal and lacquer – shiny materials that tend to be used in photography on a very seldom basis. It was an ambitious choice on the part of the photographers. The seats were the main constraint. We looked everywhere; we scoured almost the whole of France, but the seats were either too vintage or too damaged… In the end, we decided to make them ourselves. ”

The production designer then oversaw the installation and removal of the backdrops during the shoot. The final stage consisted of adding props, a few everyday objects that would accompany passengers on their travels: suitcases, binoculars, compasses and nautical instruments. Through this minute attention to detail, Florence Mauduech has brought the photographers’ vision to life and together they play on the viewer’s perception. “The universe of the set completely changes according to the interplay between props, the projected landscape and the change of actor ”. Sometimes surreal, sometimes underwater and occasionally even in uncharted territories, this is a comprehensive journey around the world.

“Creating an entire set for a photo shoot was quite ambitious, but a backdrop like this offers the possibility of producing lots of photos,” explains Florence Mauduech, who moves away from the beaten track with this project. A production designer specialising in the universe of luxury and beauty, she has designed sets for prestigious houses such as Yves Saint Laurent and Isabelle Marant, as well as for French retailers like Super U. “The theme of the train and this scale were therefore new for me – usually I would have designed the whole train and played on the effects of scale.”

Discover the photo campaign on Maison Taittinger’s Instagram account

About Champagne Taittinger

Champagne Taittinger is an independent and family-run Champagne house. Since 1734 a company of growers and artisans owner of the 2nd largest vineyard in Champagne (288ht). Today it is among the top 6 Champagne brands worldwide and is present in more than 150 countries.
The heart and soul of a home: the family spirit.

The Taittinger family has been running the House for almost a century. Always with the aim of pursuing excellence. “The presence of our name on a bottle has always invested us with needs and responsibilities. The name on the bottle combines past experience with future commitment» as Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger likes to say. It is a commitment that he has fulfilled for more than 40 years and that today he shares with his son Clovis and daughter Vitalie who both take care of the direction of the House. The garden of creation, one of the largest estates in the champagne region with a certification of high environmental value.

The size of the Taittinger vineyard has increased considerably in the transition from one generation to another up to the current 288 hectares, which make it the third largest estate in Champagne. It is cultivated with Chardonnay for 37%, Pinot Noir for 48% and Pinot Meunier for 15%, equally distributed among 37 different crus, among the best of the Champagne denomination.

A perfect demonstration of the Taittinger style that produces less than half of what it could, making the quality control of blends an exclusive resource. In the context of a responsible approach to viticulture, it has obtained the HVE (High Environmental Value) certification, in recognition of a work carefully designed to be in harmony with nature.

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