PARIS — A young designer line called Trousseau de Margaux was new on the scene, showing its neophyte collection of vintage-looking lingerie in the Spicy Garden section of the Salon International de la Lingerie.
The 30-piece line is designed by Emilie Cabaussel and Iris de Melo, both graduates of the Parisian fashion school Esmod. Cabaussel and de Melo, both 25, said they were inspired to design items that have a retro flavor by lingerie pieces and accessories they found in their mothers’ and grandmothers’ armoires as they were growing up.
“I would come across little embroideries and monograms, lots of things with special touches,” Cabaussel said. “Now everything lacks that certain delicacy and femininity.”
“I found inspiration with my grandmother’s wedding trousseau,” interjected de Melo, noting that they selected the name of the line, Trousseau de Margaux,” because it sounded “old-fashioned, but still modern. We didn’t want to personalize it with our names.”
Friends, including accessories stylist Laure Tardy and photographer Jean Garcin, pitched in with marketing and styling to help the budding designers get their first collection launched in January. De Melo works as a designer for Jos Berry, director of trend-forecasting firm Paris Concepts. Cabaussel designs lingerie for Origin’L, a contractor in France and Italy.
With a shoestring budget, the designers found ways to create fashion product, including economizing by shopping flea markets.
“We buy silks and antique laces, which you can find in large quantities at flea markets,” de Melo said. “The idea is, we use things people don’t really want anymore and use it to create unique pieces.”
Wholesale prices average $40 for a bra, $20 for undies and $70 for cami tops and nuisettes, which are little chemises.
Production is done in Portugal, where the workmanship is less expensive than in France, de Melo said.
“The most challenging thing for us was to buy fabrics, to get them to work with us because the fabric companies think, ‘Will they still be here in six months?'” she said. “We always have to wait because the fabric suppliers are taking care of larger customers they consider more important.”
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De Melo observed, “The main thing is, we made a lot of contacts at this show. Asian and British buyers liked our collection, and specialty stores from Russia, Holland and the U.S. placed orders. We plan on showing at the upcoming Lyon show.”
The Lyon, Mode City fair in Lyon, France, is scheduled for Sept. 2-4.