Confluence, a new campaign for the modernisation of the French Institute’s Language Centre, was launched on 24 November 2021. The special event was kicked off by the French Ambassador to the UK, Catherine Colonna, and was marked by French singer and pianist Jeanne Cherhal’s concert dedicated to the greatest songs of cinema. Ms Cherhal played on the Steinway piano that the Friends of the French Institute Trust helped to renovate in 2012, and was joined on stage by Thierry Frémaux, director of the Cannes Film Festival and of the Institut Lumière.

La Cité Cavalière is a unique scarf designed by Octave Marsal for Hermès. In support of the Friends of the French Institute, it was personalised and created in a unique colour scheme.

The design of this special edition was inspired by a 17th-century engraving depicting a bird’s eye view of Paris, reinventing the French capital’s streetscape.
The limited-edition scarf was unveiled in November 2021, during the special event dedicated to the launch of the Confluence campaign. For each scarf sold, the House donated £100 to help The Friends of the French Institute Trust continue its mission.

After a 12- year campaign to renovate its cultural centre, the French Institute in the United Kingdom is opening a new chapter with “Confluence”. This large-scale project aims to modernise the Institute’s Language Centre by revamping its listed Victorian building and reshaping its online and onsite learning experience.

“Le mieux avec l'Institut, c'est la grande variété d’étudiants, de diverses nationalités, d'âges différents. (…) Et les cours sont toujours amusants." - Eleanor
(The best with learning French at the Institute is the variety of students, who come from many different countries and are all different ages. (…) And the lessons are always fun.)

"Je n'apprends pas seulement la langue, mais aussi la culture française." - Lilit
(Not only am I learning French, but also the French culture.)