02 — The Collaboration Story
A meeting of two
A meeting of two
distinct worlds.
"How did this collaboration first come to life?"
It started with a DM, honestly. Maison Élève had been watching my work for two seasons, and I'd worn their pieces in three viral posts without even realizing it. We were already speaking the same visual language before we ever had a conversation. When Creative Director Claude Marchand finally reached out, the first call lasted four hours. We knew immediately this was something different — not a sponsorship, but a real creative fusion.
I brought my community's energy, their rawness, their desire to dress for themselves. They brought 90 years of Parisian craft. What emerged was something neither of us could have made alone.
I brought my community's energy, their rawness, their desire to dress for themselves. They brought 90 years of Parisian craft. What emerged was something neither of us could have made alone.
"What was the hardest part of the design process?"
Learning to let go of control in the right places. I have a very specific visual identity — my community has come to expect certain silhouettes, a certain edge. Maison Élève has equally strong DNA. There were moments of real creative tension, especially around the draped jacket in Look 04. I wanted asymmetry, they wanted structure. We eventually found a solution that was asymmetric *in* a structured way — and that tension became the whole philosophy of the collection.
"What do you hope people feel when they wear these pieces?"
Seen. That's the simplest way to put it. Fashion can be so exclusionary — it whispers rather than speaks. I've built my platform on the idea that getting dressed is a radical act of self-definition. These six pieces are designed to be worn by real people, in real life, without apology. Whether you're wearing Look 02 to a board meeting or Look 05 to a gallery opening at midnight — you should feel like the most intentional person in the room.