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ÀCHEVAL PAMPA, Amazons of style

ÀCHEVAL PAMPA, Amazons of style

Inspired by her childhood memories that she has spent riding on horses in the Pampas, the Argentinian stylist Sofia Achaval de Montaigu is paying tribute to the horsemen of this wide expanse of land by launching with her friend and partner Lucila Sperber the lifestyle brand Àcheval Pampa.

With her long blond hair, wearing one of those famous bombachas, the gauchos’ pants that became the key piece of the label, and the black hat, Sofia has this intriguing exoticism, a natural elegance and a poetic and sophisticated look. This urban amazon represents perfectly well the spirit of the brand.

Since its launch at the Ritz in Paris last year, Àcheval Pampa is a real success, seduces all the it-girls from Paris to Buenos Aires and promotes with a lot of chic and sophistication the beauty of the Pampa and its unique craftsmanship.

Behind your label Àcheval Pampa, there is you and Lucila Sperber. How did you get the idea to create together a brand inspired by the gauchos of the Pampas?

It was always my dream to launch one day my own brand inspired by the gauchos. I grew up in Buenos Aires but every holiday and every weekend I’ve spent in the Pampas where my family possesses land.

During my entire childhood, I grew up riding on horses in this wide stretch of grassland wearing the traditional gaucho clothes.

During my studies of fashion design at studio Berçot in Paris, I’ve often worn the bombachas, the pants of the gauchos, the typical horseman boots or the ponchos. This style was natural to me but my friends were completely fascinated and wanted to know where I’ve bought those clothes.

I’ve met Lucila several years later when I was working as a stylist for a Rochas campagne because she’s the brand manager of this fashion label for South America.
The idea to create together a brand inspired by the gauchos was born at that moment.

What exactly is so fascinating for you about the gaucho style and the Pampa, this wide region between Uruguay, Argentina and the south of Brazil?

The Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges said once

‘The Pampa is like a horizontal vertigo’.

I love this description. We have embroidered his quote on our shirts, because it describes perfectly well the sensation that you have under this intense sun and those miles of empty grassland in front of you.

The clothing of the gauchos with their hats, their pants, their ponchos and their leather boots have this great look and chic.

Our intention with Àchval Pampa is to extract this timeless elegance of men’s clothing and turn it into something feminine by adding sophistication, a bit of romanticism and poetry.

This reminds me of Yves Saint Laurent who said ‘A woman is never as feminine as in a man’s suit’. 

I’m a huge fan of Monsieur Saint Laurent. And he’s absolutely right. Yves Saint Laurent took a lot of inspiration in mens’ clothes and adapted them for women. These pieces became iconic with a timeless elegance. He was inspired by different cultures like Asia, Morocco and also by the gaucho style but added a modern elegance and a european chic.

And that’s exactly our goal with Àcheval Pampa.

We want to create a wardrobe that contains beautiful classics, with a refined ethnic elegance that is accessible to everybody and can be worn a whole life.

That’s why we keep our key pieces every season and add a small selection of well-chosen new pieces.

The center of our collections are the pants that we propose in various very luxurious fabrics. Around theses key pieces we have added shirts, capes, dresses, skirts and for the coming winter a jacket.

We give a great importance to the choice of our fabrics and the cut of our clothes. They have to be perfectly cut and also comfortable so you can wear them from morning to night.

There are also the belts and the jewelry that are designed by other artists that you invite for collaborations. 

Yes, absolutely. The belts and the jewelry are designed by the amazing artist Luna Paiva who is known for her huge bronze sculptures. For this capsule collection she took her inspiration from this very particular sky of the magical pampa with its intense sun and moon.

Luna is drawing first the design and then making the moulds by hand at her studio.

Are you thinking of future collaborations with other artists?

We really like the idea of collaborations because it brings another point of view to the collection which is very interesting, but it needs to happen in a very natural way without being forced.

But we will certainly continue working wit Luna because we love her artistic universe a lot. It is in perfect harmony with the Àcheval Pampa style.

It-girls like Kendall Jenner or Meghan Markle are big fans of Àcheval Pampa and Delfina Blaquier has worn this beautiful blue dress at the royal wedding of Harry and Maghan. 

Yes, Delfina looked stunning in this dress!
And the fact that she was wearing it at that this very particular event has created a huge buzz on social media and has given the brand an enormous visibility, just a few months after the brand’s launch at the Ritz in Paris.

Delfina and her husband Nacho Figueras, the famous polo player, are part of the Àcheval Pampa adventure and the best ambassadors of the label. We’re all very good friends, and share the same love for Argentina, its breathtaking beauty and unique craftsmanship.

Production wise you put a lot of importance into traditional craftsmanship and you’re working with small local workshops. Do you think that this is the new definition of luxury, to produce less and to focus on handcraft ? 

Absolutely! For us it’s very important that the entire collection is produced in the Pampa. Our pants and shirts are made in Uruguay, the belts in the south of Brazil and the bags are made by the best manufacturer in Argentina that is specialized in making horse saddles for the gauchos, their savoir-faire is impressive. And our black hats are made by a family that is making only this style.

We really do care about the « Made in the Pampas ». It’s also an opportunity to give work to all those incredibly talented craftsman and helps that this unique traditional handcraft doesn’t disappear.

Àcheval Pampa is above all a life style brand, not a designer label, that is very versatile. It can exist in many other ways such as fragrance or furniture.

2018 was the year of Àcheval Pampa’s successful launch. Could you give us already a little hint about your projects in 2019?

In March we will present our Autumn / Winter collection at the Ritz.

We’ll be also busy travelling. We’re very lucky to have the best shops all around the world that sell our clothes and that organize events around our label.

These trips and encounters with the boutiques and clients are very important for a brand like us because it gives life to the label and allows to have direct contact with our customers and to understand what each woman likes in our collections.

We might also launch men’s clothing because there are so many who would love to wear our pants.

What comes to your mind when you think of Iran?

I think of colors, spices.
It reminds me also of Argentina because both countries have a strong culture.
And I would love to go there.

Credits:
All photos © Àcheval Pampa
e-Shop: https://acheval-pampa.myshopify.com
Text: Anahita Vessier
Translation: Anahita Vessier

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VAQAR, The new generation of fashion avant-garde

VAQAR, The new generation of fashion avant-garde

Vaqar is a cool Iranian fashion label based in Tehran that has participated in the prestigious LVMH Prize For Young Fashion Designers in 2016.

Behind this young label there are two beautiful and creative sisters, Shiva and Shirin Vaqar, designing fashion in a contemporary style with an universal appeal and bringing a fresh wind and a redefined concept of modernity into the international fashion scene.

They will show their Spring/Summer 2018 collection during Paris Fashion Week in September.

In 2016 you’ve been invited to participate at the LVMH Prize For Young Fashion Designers. How was this experience? Was it the first time that you were presenting your fashion brand outside of Iran?

It was an amazing experience like a turning point for us and it encouraged us to push ourselves harder. It was our first time we presented our work outside of Iran.

Despite the fact that there is neither a fashion school in Iran nor an institution that supports young Iranian fashion designers, how come you’ve decided to work in fashion? What did you study initially and when did you launch your label “Vaqar”?

I studied Business Management and Shirin studied Visual Arts. We’ve always had this desire to work together and fashion was something that we were both very curious about. So we decided to give it a try and started Vaqar in 2013.

Tell me more about the fashion scene in Iran. Do you observe a progress in the support and promotion of Iranian fashion labels?

Recently fashion is getting more serious in Iran and there is more support. The biggest support comes from the Iranian people who have started to give more attention to Iranian brands. That’s why there are also more fashion events which is a big motivation for us designers.

“We think it is just the beginning of Iranian fashion and in a few years it will get even better.”

Your style is very contemporary with a universal appeal. What inspires you? Is Iranian culture a source of inspiration for you?

We get inspiration from almost everything. We always try to modernize the outdated styles with a new and fresh approach based on our inspirations.

“The impact of our cultural heritage on our clothes is undeniable.”

The values that are the conclusion of our culture can have an impact on our mindset and eventually on our clothes.

Your modern and very constructive style in monochromatic colors reminds me of fashion icons such as Yohji Yamamoto or Rei Kawakubo. Have these designers influenced your creative evolution?

We love Yohji Yamamoto. However the colors we use are totally based on the concepts we choose and the concepts we choose are the result of our mood in a certain period of time. So we don’t feel any obligation in our work to use just monochromatic colors.

Being sisters, what is the advantage or disadvantage of working together?

We haven’t felt any disadvantage at all, on the contrary. As we know each other very well, it’s easier for us to understand each others’ points of view and to get to a final idea or decision. Our different skills can complete each other and make them more efficient.

Do you work with music? What are you listening to right now while working on your next collection?

Music is a big part in our design progress. Recently we’re listening to Olafur Arnalds tracks, especially Til Enda and Gleypa okkur.

When and where will you show your next collection? Could you give me a little idea about the look of your Spring/Summer 2018 collection?

We usually present a collection at the beginning of each season in Tehran and twice a year at Paris Fashion Week.
This year we will probably show our Spring/Summer 2018 collection during Paris Fashion Week end of September.

“The look of the next collection will be a modern version of traditional garments with an affection for Iranian ancient statues.”

You’re living in Tehran, what do you like about this city? What are your favorite spots?

The thing we like about Tehran is its nostalgia.
Our favorite spots are places like Tehran Bazaar, Tajrish…

Credits:
All creations: Vaqar
Text: Anahita Vessier
http://vaqar.com/
https://www.instagram.com/_vaqar_//

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DELPHINE DELAFON, Bohemian punk rock chic amazon

DELPHINE DELAFON,
Bohemian punk rock chic amazon

Delphine Delafon’s bucket bag is THE item that all the girls from Paris to Tokyo are crazy about. It’s already a “classic”.

Her workshop in the Xth district in Paris is like Ali Baba’s Cave filled with extraordinary fabrics, exotic leathers in incredible colors, all sorts of trimmings where Delphine, this tall bohemian-punk-rock-chic amazon with her husky voice, receives her clients, designs her unique collections and manufactures her stylish bags.

When did you decide to launch your own brand?

Since I’ve been 15, I wanted to have my own brand and sell my own creations that carry my name.

It started during my pregnancy. I was at home and made a bag for myself. My girlfriends saw it and immediately wanted one too, and then friends of friends and so on. I’ve invited them over to my house so they could choose the materials and fabrics. The idea was that each of them has her very own, personalized bag.
Through word of mouth I’ve got more and more clients that after 2 years it became a serious business.
The first 500 bags were all made by myself with my sewing machine in my kitchen. But at one point the orders got so big that I decided to delegate the work and get a real workshop.

Since the beginning of your brand, you offer your clients a “made-to-mesure” service. Do you think that nowadays there’s a big demande for one-of-a-kind pieces?

Even though I’ve launched a collection of bags some seasons ago that are made outside my workshop, a kind of a ready-to-wear collection to be more accessible and to respond to shop orders, the request of the “made-to-mesure” offer is constantly growing.

“Nowadays clients are ready to spend more money in order to have their one-of-a-kind Delphine Delafon bag. They appreciate the savoir-faire and the fact that it’s made in my workshop in Paris. They love to come to my atelier, to meet me and choose together the materials for their bag.”

Each Delphine Delafon bag is made in limited edition and numbered.

After the bags, you’re launching now a fashion line. What is the common thread between the bags and the clothes?

For my fashion line I would like to keep the same concept as for the bags, keep the manufacturing as handcrafted as possible, and 100% made in France. There’s no label sewn inside the clothes, but they’re signed “Delphine Delafon” by myself.
I would also like to keep the concept of clients coming to my workshop and have their clothes personalized.

For me these kind of details are extremely important, to show that it’s all about craftsmanship. I’ve noticed that people are very receptive for the designer’s feelings towards his own creations and his brand.

Instead of doing a catwalk show, your Spring/Summer 2017 presentation was a big social festive happening. Your Autumn/Winter 2017/18 presentation was a 3 hours performance inspired by traditional catholic Silician funerals mixed with punk elements and neon lights. That’s a very unconventional way to show your collection.

“I would like to be conventional but I just can’t. So I continue doing it in my own way.”

Each show is an intense collaboration with a group of people that I like a lot and where everybody brings in ideas. I love to collaborate with friends who know me and my artistic universe and build a project together.

Where do you find this amazing variety of fabrics and leather?

Fortunately there are still some suppliers in Paris not far from my workshop where I get beautiful leather, lizard skin, python skin, alligator skin in all different colors.

I find a lot of the fabrics on my trips. My boyfriend has been living in Vietnam and Cambodia for one year, so I went to see him quite a lot and bought beautiful old traditional fabrics. I’ve also been to Kenia last year where I’ve found fabrics with amazing African prints.

Is there an artist, dead or alive, that you adore?

Since I’m 12 I’m obsessed with fashion photography.

“My all time favorite is Helmut Newton. I love the atmosphere and the sexual aesthetics in his pictures.”

Is there an art piece that you love and that overwhelms you?

Music is fascinating to me because it’s something very abstract and intangible but can evoke very strong emotions.
I’m a huge fan of the Beatles and especially the song “While my guitar gently weeps” is lifting me out of the ordinary and takes me to an imaginary place every time I listen to it.

What comes to your mind when you think of Iran?

I think of a country who has a very strong and intense political history and of the status and condition of women which is a subject that I care about a lot.

Credits:
Portray by Nina Koltchitskaia
Spring Summer 2017 Collection and rest of photos by Basile Mookherjee
Text: Anahita Vessier
Translation: Anahita Vessier
http://www.delphinedelafon.com/

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IRACEMA TREVISAN, Brazilian essence of chic

IRACEMA TREVISAN, Brazilian essence of chic

To me, Ira, is someone who has an incredible feeling for style and chic, the way she mixes colors, accessories, prints, the way she’s wearing her own creations of her brand Heart Heart Heart. This twisted chic, her Brazilian origin, her life now in Paris and her career as the former bass player of the Brazilian indie band Cansei de Ser Sexy make her style so unique, personal and intriguing.

Your scarves are all produced in limited edition and are numbered, almost like art pieces. Why did you choose scarves as your main item?

During my studies I got very passionate about textile print and the easiest item to wear print is a scarf.
I don’t want to give a precise date to my creations, that’s why I replaced the collections by series. A scarf is a timeless piece that you keep all your life and that you can wear in so many different ways.

Where are your inspirations for your textile design coming from?

Nature. The relation between nature and man.

“I get inspired by nature, trees, animals, insects and combine these natural elements with something very “unnatural” that has no reason to be there.”

Who are the artists that inspire you?

I’m really into conceptual art, especially some female artists like Agnes Martin and Jay De Feo. Most of the time it’s not about a particular work or esthetics, but more about the artistic gesture, the creative path to arrive where they did.

Are you planning to design other items than shawls for Heart Heart Heart?

Yes always. I’m naturally sliding to jewelry. But there are plenty of other possibilities.

You’re recent collaboration was with the American artist Miranda July. How did this projet happen?

It’s been a projet I’ve been thinking of for a long time. Miranda is a friend, but apart from that she’s one of the most striking contemporary artists.

“It’s always my intention to bring something more to the design, something that tells a story.”

Why did you choose Heart Heart Heart as the name of your brand?

For the image that brings to mind, and also for the words that are hidden in the word “heart”, earth and art.

Do you listen to music when you design? Which music did you listen to for your latest collection?

I listen to rap and hip-hop all the time. In my opinion that’s where you find today energy and innovation. Rock comes and goes and recently has made me really bored with too many references from the past…like fashion does sometimes.

You’ve been the bass player of the Brazilian indie band Cansei de Ser Sexy. Why did you switch from music to fashion?

I was already in fashion before doing music. I was working as a fashion designer for Alexandre Herchcovitch. I was making music on the weekends. Cansei de Ser Sexy was existing since 2003. It was a great time and an amazing experience. We were very spontaneous at the beginning. However while we were working on the the 2nd album, suddenly we tried to control everything, there was no magic and spontaneity any more. And that’s the moment when I left the band. I decided to move to Paris and make a master at the IFM.

Even though you’ve left music, you collaborate from time to time on music projects, such as on the cover for Nicolas Godin’s latest album “Contrepoint”. How was it to collaborate with Nicolas, who is also your fiancé? What did inspire you for this album cover?

Nicolas and I, we had the idea together. A friend of us who is a photographer made the photo especially for the cover and I added the paint brush on it.

And why lips?

The album is very sexy and has something very sensual. I wanted to reflect this sensuality of the music through the album cover.

Being from Brazil and living now in Paris, what do you like of Paris and the Parisian style? Wha do you miss about Brazil? And how do you combine both cultures and mentalities in your every day live, in your work? Is there a typical Brazilian tradition or habit that you keep in your Parisian life?

Haha! Being late counts? … Brazil is really easy-going and layed back, which is good but also a curse because it’s really hard to get work well done or done at all.
I love how the french take style seriously, it’s a way of living and one of their most well-known talent they export all around the world.
I try to make things light around me, think of the sunshine back home. Maybe that is a contribution. Brazilians are also more free with fashion and style. We don’t have much to look up to from the past, so people think they can invent their own story.

Is there a special object that is very important to you that you took with you moving from Sao Paulo to Paris?

I brought a beautiful old edition of the novel “Iracema”. I was named after the title’s name.

What comes to your mind when you hear about “Iran”?

The Persian empire, history class, … also Persian design that is so intricate and beautiful, like the women in Iran.

Credits:
Portray of Iracema by Christophe Roué
Photos of Iracema’s shawls by Iracema Trevisan
Concept of Nicolas Godin’s album cover “Contrepoint ” by Iracema Trevisan
Text: Anahita Vessier
http://www.heartheartheart.com

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