Claire Thomson Jonville is the editorial director of i-D France and former editor-in-chief of Self Service. And in many ways, Out of State, her travelling series of wellness retreats, is just another form of editing; only in a physical, rather than a paper, context.
The retreats gather the best names in skincare, nutrition, fitness, and meditation at a glamorous location over the course of five days (after a fashion week season, for example) together with a select group of high-powered creatives (think editors, fashion designers, dancers). The first Out of State took place last year in 2022 in Bodrum, Turkey, and featured skincare treatments by facialist Teresa Tarmey, guided yoga and mindfulness workshops, personalised diet plans and workouts, educational nutrition seminars, and spa experiences.
Claire Thomson Jonville
Out of State part 2: the silent retreat
The second retreat is set to take place at Château de la Bourdaisière, a storybook 14th-century castle in the Loire Valley, France, from 16 to 19 March 2023. This will be a silent retreat with a particular focus on yoga and meditation, and will feature sunrise and pre-sleep rituals from skincare expert Tata Harper; supervised fasting with a tailor-made Wild & the Moon juice for a deep cleanse of the body; yoga classes taught by Paris-based artist and Jivamukti Yoga teacher Ian Szydlowski-Alvarez; as well as down time to walk through the estate’s exceptional 55-hectare park.
Tata Harper, who will be leading wellness rituals at the upcoming Out of State retreat
Thomson Jonville curates every aspect of the experience, with a programme and list of experts culled from her own experience of taking part in cleanses and retreats, and working as an editor working across beauty, fashion, art, and music. 'I'm just bringing together all the experiences that I love and look for into one retreat,’ says Thomson Jonville over the phone from her home in Paris.
‘As a fashion editor, you're exposed to so many great, well-curated experiences, which allow me to understand “oh, this is what fashion editors would like”, or “this is what models would like”. So it’s just a very organic process that came really from this desire to look after myself and to nourish my creativity.’
Paris-based artist and Jivamukti Yoga teacher Ian Szydlowski-Alvarez who will be leading classes at the upcoming Out of State
Nourishing creativity is key here. Out of State is, at its core, designed for creatives who are used to high-octane lifestyles characterised by packed schedules, constant travel, and rolling deadlines. As someone used to that kind of burnout herself, Thomson Jonville, wants this retreat series to be a much-needed escape hatch from an otherwise ceaseless and demanding schedule and, consequently, a way to revive creativity that has run dry.
Thomson Jonville is keeping her plans for the next few retreats under wraps for now, but confirms that there are two more in the works. ‘The way that I'm putting this together is [by thinking] this is what I do to look after myself and you’re welcome to come join me, because I’m doing things that I really love and that I know others will really love too.’
