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ABOUT
Cafe Mortel is a creative studio and production company transforming funeral experiences through art, design, and innovation. Founded in 2020 by Ruby Cohen Love, the studio transforms traditional funeral experiences into curated self-expressions, positioning death awareness as a catalyst for intentional living.
A creative director, Central Saint Martins graduate in Fashion Communication, and thanatology student , Ruby creates immersive experiences at the intersection of fashion, design, architecture, art, and mortality. Her work transforms traditional funeral experiences into curated art exhibitions and meaningful rituals relevant to the 2020s.
ORIGINS
The concept for Cafe Mortel was conceived in 2017, when founder Ruby Cohen Love envisioned her own funeral as a fashion exhibition in Copenhagen. This transformative moment crystallized into a vision of reimagining funeral experiences through the lens of fashion and art. The brand's name pays homage to Bernard Crettaz's café mortel movement, which hosted intimate death discussions across Switzerland, reflecting our shared belief in making mortality discussions more accessible. What began as a personal vision in 2017 evolved into a creative studio by 2020, operating at the intersection where fashion meets mortality, creating bespoke ceremonies and thoughtfully designed memento mori that challenge traditional narratives around death.
PHILOSOPHY
Cafe Mortel is about death, but it is for the living. We create intimate, structured environments for people to explore their mortality curiosity while focusing on being alive. Our approach treats one's 'deathstyle' with the same intentionality as lifestyle, understanding that death awareness serves as a powerful catalyst for meaningful living and legacy creation.
SUSTAINABILITY
Committed to environmental regeneration in the death care space, we partner with pioneering innovators. Our circular vision extends to collaborations with eco-friendly burial providers and memorial reef restorers, ensuring end-of-life practices contribute to environmental regeneration rather than depletion.