Starring ENFANT PRÉCOCE
Photography LOUIS PEREIRA
In the Studio with Enfant Précoce and Dr. Martens
By SELMA NOURI
Enfant Précoce is the French-Cameroonian painter starring as the face of Dr. Martens' "With Bouncing Soles" campaign in France. In conversation with LOVE, he shares the role freedom and heritage have played in his practice.
Enfant Précoce wears the Dr. Martens Adrian Loafers in Cherry Red Crazy Horse Leather throughout.
IF THERE'S ONE THING THAT DEFINES FRENCH-CAMEROONIAN PAINTER ENFANT PRÉCOCE, it’s his instinct to move freely and on his own terms. He discovered painting almost by chance, picking up the medium after receiving a paint set as a gift, and entered the art world by forging his own path. Without gallery connections or formal training, he turned to Instagram to share his work and carve out a place for himself in an often traditional scene. “I didn’t have a gallery to showcase my work, so Instagram became my window into the art world. It became my vitrine,” he says.
Today, as the face of Dr. Martens’ “With Bouncing Soles” campaign in France, Précoce brings that same spirit of independence to his practice. The campaign marks a new chapter for the brand, reinterpreting its iconic look to celebrate the people, passions, and moments that move us forward. In much the same way, Précoce pairs an age-old medium with new modes of expression, from exhibiting his paintings on the busy streets of the Champs-Élysées to exploring his experience as a member of the African diaspora in France. He embodies the campaign’s celebration of freedom and self-expression, demonstrating the immense possibilities that emerge when people and even brands are free to imagine differently and create their own rules—a spirit that sits at the very heart of Dr. Martens’ own evolution.
Selma Nouri As a painter, how does fashion enter your creative process? Does the way you dress inform, or reflect, the way you make art?
Enfant Précoce It’s actually really interesting because before I began my journey as a painter, I wanted to create my own brand. I was very interested in fashion, so I would watch every show, and there were certain designers whose work I really admired. In a way, my journey as an artist and creative really started there. First, it was dance, then fashion, and eventually, after I received a paint set as a gift, I started painting … but generally speaking, I’ve always been very interested in expressing myself through the way I dress. I like to experiment with different shapes and forms. My wife sometimes asks me, especially when she knows I’m just going to the studio, “Why are you dressed like this? You look like you’re going to an event.” And I always tell her, “My paintings have a certain spirit. They want to see me dressed this way.”
When I arrive at the studio feeling fresh and well dressed, I feel like that energy carries into my work. It’s something I’ve become accustomed to. I trust that when I feel good and put effort into how I present myself, that feeling naturally finds its way into my paintings. And being in Paris, the city of fashion, makes that connection even stronger. I’m surrounded by fashion photographers, designers, stylists, and so many different forms of creative expression. All of that has influenced the way I think and encouraged me to bring ideas I encounter through fashion into my paintings, even when those ideas ultimately speak to something social or cultural.
SN “With Bouncing Soles” marks a new chapter for Dr. Martens, reinterpreting an iconic brand for a new generation. As a painter, how do you approach that idea in your own work? How do you create something new within a medium with such a long legacy, and how has your experience as part of the African diaspora in Paris shaped the way you see the world and approach your practice?
EP I came to France from Cameroon when I was nine years old, surrounded by different cultures and ways of seeing the world. Our home was always full of cousins and friends coming and going, and through them, I was exposed to stories and experiences from different countries and cultures. Those encounters have become an important part of my journey as a painter. In many ways, I’m constantly gathering the stories, memories, and experiences that have shaped me and translating them into my work.
Also, I think painting is already such an organic medium, and as you said, it carries a long history. For me, though, it’s a gift … because I see painting as both a need and an opportunity to document my era, just as artists before me documented theirs. I would like to be remembered alongside those who came before me, to become part of the history of painters of the 21st century. I want to work with the same medium and methods, but use them to capture this particular moment we’re living in.
SN Connecting back to the campaign again, "With Bouncing Soles" is built around the idea of celebrating the people, passions and moments that move us forward. What makes your sole bounce?
EP I think, at first, it was dance…and I still dance because I love it. It’s one of the most amazing feelings I’ve experienced through art. I never studied dance, and in many ways, painting is similar. I didn’t study painting either. It was simply something that was gifted to me, and from there, I began to explore it and experience it for myself. Over time, I fell in love with the medium. So, I think what makes my soul bounce is that sense of freedom, the ability to explore, to follow my instincts, and to do what I love most.
SN What drew you to collaborating with Dr. Martens, and what was it about the brand that resonated with your creative practice?
EP When I moved out of the suburbs and started living in Paris, I met a lot of young creatives like me … photographers, designers, artists. We spoke a lot about fashion, and at the time, around 2011 or 2012, I was working at American Apparel. Paris felt like a place where people were experimenting with their style and expressing themselves in very different ways. There was a real sense of creativity and individuality in fashion. It didn’t feel like today, where there are so many trends, and everyone seems to be moving in the same direction.
Back then, I would describe my style as somewhere between dandyism and neo-dandyism, but with a more punk edge. It was also around this time that I really began to embrace painting and develop my identity as an artist, creating my own character and visual language. And, of course, I was wearing a lot of Dr. Martens.
For me, their products really embody the sense of freedom I felt during that time, a feeling that has stayed with me throughout my journey as a painter. So many designers, musicians, and artists wear Dr. Martens because it represents something outside of convention, a kind of freedom and rebellion against society. I feel connected to that because, as an artist, I’ve never tried to fit in. I see myself more as a bridge between different worlds…between people, politics, and culture.
SN Paris has such a particular relationship with both painting and fashion. How does living and working here shape the way you create? I think that question is especially interesting in light of what you just said, because Paris is a place with such a strong culture of creative expression, but at the same time, there are deeply established codes around how people behave and present themselves. As an artist working within that environment, what is that tension like for you?
EP It’s kind of strange, because I remember when I first started making art, Instagram didn’t really exist yet. It was mostly Facebook, and people were just posting pictures of themselves with shitty filters. It was funny, but it wasn’t really a platform for showcasing your work.
So when I started entering the art scene, I thought, okay, I need to find a gallery. But nobody really knew who I was because I hadn’t gone to art school. And in Paris, it wasn’t easy, because there was a more traditional path you were expected to follow. You went to art school, made connections, went to vernissages and different events, and slowly built relationships with galleries and buyers. But that really wasn’t my world at the time. I was part of the fashion crowd. I was going to parties, I was young, and I wasn’t thinking, “Oh, I should go to this vernissage and network and meet people.” I was just doing my own thing.
Then Instagram came along, and I started seeing artists share their work there. So I began doing the same, without really thinking it would one day become such a huge scene, or that it might actually lead somewhere. I just thought, okay, let me put myself out there and experiment with new ways of showing my work. And that really became the beginning of a new journey for me. I didn’t have a gallery to showcase my work, so Instagram became my window into the art world. It became my vitrine. It was how I started building my name without following the traditional route of going through galleries or all those established channels…and eventually, that path actually led me to galleries.
But, of course, it’s not that simple or easy for everyone. Today, you have to find a way to distinguish yourself from the thousands of artists sharing their work on Instagram. You have to develop your own language and your own way of expressing yourself, both in real life and online.
SN When you’re in a creative rut or simply looking for inspiration, are there any places in Paris that you always find yourself going back to?
EP I don’t really know if I need to go somewhere specific in Paris to find inspiration. There are places I go because I love spending time with my friends, but it’s not necessarily because they inspire me in a creative way. It’s more that they feel like family. I feel at home when I’m with them, and I think that feeling connects deeply to what I try to express in my paintings and what I want people to feel when they experience my work. I want them to feel warmth through my paintings … to not become too overwhelmed by what we’re living through.
At the same time, as an African who came to a country that wasn’t originally my own, I’m always curious about and inspired by the world around me. I take inspiration from pretty much everything I see, everything around me, and everything I read. I’m constantly learning about both my home country and France, observing how certain things from Africa are understood or experienced in France, and how things from France are perceived in Africa.
I’m interested in understanding the world—its history, its cultures, and the different ways people live and behave. That curiosity, more than any particular place, is what inspires me the most.
Enfant Précoce wears the Dr. Martens Adrian Loafers in Cherry Red Crazy Horse Leather, available now globally and online.