BEE MY BABY WEEK

Bee My Baby... Tomorrow is February 14th and our newest collection will be out, inspired not by love but by friendship with a capital F. Each collection is inspired by many things: Justine, Alexandra’s flowing hair, Maria’s tenderness, my dear sister, Charlotte’s derriere, the gap between Marilou’s teeth, my Aunt’s words, Aurélie’s blond locks, Laure’s obsession with the seventies, Maeva’s passion, my mother’s love for leopard print, Maya’s perseverance, Mai’s colors, Anne’s willpower, Fanny’s joie de vivre, Lily’s chic sense of humor, my niece’s innocents and Julie’s perfect red lips. All these women inspire my day to day life, whether they like it or not. They are my inspirations, they influence my drawings, the stories I tell.

I started to think about this collection when my best friend, Justine, moved to Italy. She is my sunshine, strong and fearless! I think of her as my sister. We didn’t grow up together, but there are so many things that she knows about me and only she knows. When I met her for the first time, 8 years ago, it was like love at first sight. She was so bubbly, lovely, and funny. After just a few minutes, we were frustrated by the same things, casting mischievous glances at each other... Boom, then it happened, the people around us ceased to exist. She inspired me to take on the world, and same as with my husband, she’s one of the people that encourages me and inspires me simply by existing. All the times that I didn’t listen to her and did what I wanted, I regretted it. Justine knows a lot about some things that I don’t.

You might say that she looks like Audrey Hepburn, Natalie Portman or Keira Knightley, but in the end, she just looks like herself, like all these other unforgettable women. I think that in the end, when designing a collection, a great goal to have is to leave nobody indifferent! Designing this collection inspired by her, with bees from her childhood and mimosa from mine, colors from dreamy Italy and lovely retro designs. And as always, the cuts are flattering for all shapes and sizes to celebrate our differences.

When I show my sketches to Laure, who adds the finishing touches, I always wait for her to say, “this is so Fanny or Maria”, or “this piece is going to be your favorite”, or even “I want this in every color!”. That’s how we work! Then Maria gets involved and points us in the right direction; which fabric is best, which color would look great. She reminds us why our collection is good, the fact that we make less and less compromises, that we’re trying to use more bold colors and forgotten styles, to invent patterns that I hope are original. Everyone in the Studio adds their two cents, fighting for their ideas. It’s like a dance, a passionate conversation, that I think is actually a lot of fun because in the end, that’s what it’s all about. Everyone’s passion for our work and jobs.

This doesn’t just belong to me, it belongs to all these ladies. Even if I play the role of a conductor, nothing makes me prouder than to see my team get excited about getting the new collection, just as much or more than me. Everything has a new meaning! I think that today, we’re not only making fashion available, but the possibility to make it. Make with a capital M. If we ever have the time, desire, motivation, we too can make this lovely skirt in every color you can imagine. I realized not too long ago that it’s not just about clothes, it’s a promise. The promise that one day we’ll get to it, or at least try, that we’ll start sewing or start our own thing, that we’ll leave everything to live in a different country, to pave our own way with or without someone by your side... Feeling that one’s never really be alone, despite the distance or passing time, you’ll always be “your bee’s baby”...

Photos by Laurence Revol <3, make up by Laurence Maestrello. Thank you to the entire Lemonade Studio for making this possible and to all these lovely Lemonade Lovers for posing for us on a rainy Saturday! Translated by Whitney Bolin.