GOOD PEOPLE: KATIA, INDIRA FROM PARIS

Hello company!

It's been ages since I last posted here, and yet I've got plenty to say! But today, I'd like to tell you about a wonderful encounter! That of Katia, the founder and creator ofIndira de Paristhe Turbans brand for dummies, as she likes to call it!

For the record, I've been knotting scarves on my head for ages, but go figure, there are days when it just won't work, like not at all ... I struggle to make a knot that holds, I look like an Easter egg, and I throw in the towel but always with the hope that tomorrow or the day after will be the good days when I'll have the hair modjo. Then one day, a friend shares a video on Facebook of Indira de Paris with an express tutorial explaining how to tie one of their scarves without a hitch and with the promise of a perfect head 7 days a week. I'm seduced, I'm ordering, I love it, and you've got a little look with the turban by here !

A few months later, I talk about it with my sweet Laure at the studio. You may not know it, but in the club of high-flying hair experiments with Laure, I've found my master... I share Katia's new collection with her and she decides to place an order, so I take the opportunity to buy myself another turban, and as we receive our precious ones, we look at each other and say, how beautiful it would be with the lobster fabric of the next collection! Without missing a beat, I write to Katia on Instagram and discover her ultra-vitamin universe and her sweetness.

Katia is a jack-of-all-trades who never seems to run out of steam! Her ultra-colorful, flowery universe reminds me of my friend Karuna Balloo of course, but her audacity and drive, ready to lift mountains, resonate with me like all the other female entrepreneurs in my circle. Katia has an infectious energy, a sunny smile and seems to be one of those people I adore who are never afraid to follow their instincts.

Since that day, we've managed to set up a lovely collaboration, scarves Indira de Paris x Wear Lemonade in the colors of our new collection are to be shopped hereand watch out, they're about to become collectors' items!

  • Guidance counsellor question: Can you tell us about your career path?
 I studied psychology for 5 years, before realizing that I really didn't want to work in that field. After that, I did a series of odd jobs for a while, and then one day something clicked and I wanted to create my own brand of head jewelry. I did that for almost 5 years and it made me very happy, until one day I felt like doing something new.
Perhaps because I was already in the world of head accessories and I love finding tricks to make things simpler, I wanted to create a brand of easy-to-tie scarves. As someone who's totally hopeless at tying scarves, this was just the thing for me! And then when I took a quick look at Youtube, I quickly realized that I wasn't the only one who didn't know how to tie a scarf, given the number of tutorials on the subject.
  • Question déclic: I've heard that one night you had a revelation. Can you tell us about this idea? 

It took me a long time to come up with the right idea. Almost 2 years! I'm very demanding, and I really wanted to create a model that was perfect in my eyes. So I kept this project in the back of my mind and thought about it from time to time. And then one evening, it clicked! I got up, took a piece of wax given to me by my cousin during my vacation in Cape Verde, and feverishly hand-stitched my proto zero. I've still got it, and it doesn't look like much because I'm a terrible seamstress, but I knew I had THE right idea! It was a great moment!

  • Pinterest question: How do you find inspiration and ideas for your new knots? 
Pinterest is a huge source of inspiration! But also women on the street, in films etc... I observe a lot! And when I fall in love with a knot, I start thinking about how I could achieve the same result in the simplest, most playful way possible. It's my favorite part of the job. I feel like a scarf engineer, and I get a kick out of the idea!
  • -Question "never enough": Your creations are always very colorful. How do you choose the motifs for your collections?
Quite simply, it's often a case of "coups de cœur". I love colors, and I love the idea that the accessories I create can add a dose of fun to my customers' wardrobes!
  • Question next step: You seem very at ease with your 10 fingers, and they seem to be working very fast in that pretty head of yours, Wouldn't you like to extend your range to include a line of ingenious clothes? 
Why not, yes! As for the timing, I don't know exactly yet. Indira has grown rapidly and we've been a bit overwhelmed. There are orders from the e-shop, but also from the boutiques that distribute us in France and abroad, and on top of that, we've just opened our first boutique in Montmartre ( 2, rue Androuet ), so that's already a lot of work!
  • Master Yoda question: What 3 pieces of advice would you give to someone who wants to set up their own business in an artistic field?
If your idea is so good that it transports you just thinking about it, then go for it!
If the people around you don't encourage you, don't listen to them, just go for it!
Believe in your project and don't do things by halves: I love the phrase "Fake it, until you make it".
  • Guru question: Is there anyone who inspired you to start your own business? Is there someone you admire and who inspires you on a daily basis?

My ex's mother had a brand of vintage haberdashery and stationery. It was watching her that made me realize that entrepreneurship was within everyone's reach.

  • Dream team question: How many people make up Indira de Paris today?

I now work with Bruno, my lover and partner, and we have a sales assistant, an intern and a trainee! So we're already a small team of 5.

  • Question "Du côté de chez Swann" featuring "Mai Hua": What was your first colorful emotion?

The first time I held a pack of felt-tip pens in my hands! I spent my childhood drawing and reading fairy tales.

  • Throwback question: What was your childhood dream job?

I wanted to be a writer or a fashion designer.

July 10, 2017
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