The Beauty of Time Travel: Officine Universelle Buly and the Work of Ramdane Touhami

This book explains how a vintage brand transformed into an international success story. The key ingredients include: integrity, attention to detail, and an insatiable curiosity for the world.

The Beauty of Time Travel is a definitive look into the process of constructing a renowned global brand from the bottom up. It all started with a Balzac novel, a flea market find, and a jolt of creative inspiration. Fast-forward to the present day and Officine Universelle Buly has grown to become a true heavyweight in the beauty industry. Sold in almost every corner of the world, co-founder Ramdane Touhami infused an appreciation for all things vintage with a spirit of conquest and innovation to offer a coveted-catalogue of premium products — often slightly quirky, but always elegant, refined, and delightful.

So how was a forgotten brand from the 19th-century revived and transformed into one of the most loved names of today? And what exactly underpins this unprecedented retail concept? Presented by its protagonists, The Beauty of Time Travel studies the meticulous work carried out by creative entrepreneur Touhami along with his agency Art Recherche Industrie. It dissects the Buly universe from A to Z, looking at it’s appetite for reinventing traditions whilst revealing the stories, tricks, and (almost) all its secrets.

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Less than a decade later, Buly 1803 is a true heavyweight of the beauty industry, sold pretty much anywhere in the world, with over 300 employees, and an infinite -and coveted- catalogue of premium beauty products. But how did founders Ramdane Touhami and Victoire de Taillac revive this forgotten brand from the 19th century and transform it into the much-loved name it is today?

This book dissects the Buly 1803 universe from A to Z, revealing the stories, tricks and (almost) all its secrets: from the old Swiss printer where fonts are created to the worldwide, ever-lasting journey in search of ingredients, and the unique philosophy behind it all.

Ramdane Touhami is an internationally renowned designer, creative director, and entrepreneur. Since the 1990s, he has launched an array of successful fashion and retail ventures in Paris, London, Tokyo, and New York. Officine Universelle Buly is known globally in the cosmetics world and also for its approach to branding. Touhami continues to head the brand alongside partner Victoire de Taillac.