We’re lucky to have some very classy new neighbours. A few months ago Marilyn and Alexis created their fashion brand, Marilyn Feltz. Their garments are 100% made in France. We discussed in the plush surroundings of their boudoir boutique. Sat comfortably with a cup of tea and some biscuits, a jazz record playing in the background, these two inspired creative minds told us their story.
We needed to express our universe ; we were always looking for something more in everything but could never quite find it ! Something fun, feminine, glamorous, free, with good fabrics and a real craft.
Can you introduce yourselves ?
M : My name is Marilyn. I am the artistic director of this brand and co-founded it with my husband Alexis. We’ve just opened our first store in Paris a month ago.
A : I co founded the brand Marilyn Feltz, and I’m also Marilyn’s husband !
M : I take care of the creative side and Alexis is in charge of the more administrative stuff, the financial part.
A : We also complement each other when it comes to taking decisions !
M : Yes we really depend on one another !
How old is your brand ?
M : 6 months old. The idea for the brand emerged exactly one year ago.
Have you always worked in the fashion industry ?
A : No, I am a drummer. I used to live in Berlin where I played music for more than 10 years. I was also a producer for a big festival and created my own record label.
M : I used to be a journalist, a music and culture correspondent in the US. At the same time I created clothes, renovated vintage things, collected a lot of objects, accessories. We are both always on the lookout for one-of-a-kinds.
Did something triggered the desire for this brand ?
M : We needed to express our universe ; we were always looking for something more in everything but could never quite find it ! Something fun, feminine, glamorous, free, with good fabrics and a real craft. You can buy and use a lot of clothes, without ever having the impression of touching something special. That’s what I was looking for in other brands. You find that in haute couture but it will never be affordable or as accessible as the prêt-à-porter in terms of prices. So we decided to create it !
What are your inspirations ?
M: I think that our roots are our greatest influences ! Something very abstract but very French : the weight of History, Art and elegance ! In our work you can find some nods to French aesthetics, ranging from the 20s to our contemporary times. However we don’t want to look antiquated ! Thinking about it, what might make us both special is how we managed to mix our two stories in one and give it a true meaning.
I lived in Los Angeles for 7 years and all this Hollywood glamour, the rustle, the palm trees and Marilyn Monroe’s ingenuousness have permeated my style. Then Alexis and I met in Berlin where we stayed for three years. In Berlin, fashion and elegance are not so important. People are not interested in the same things, probably because of the economic situation in the city. Berlin is quite poor in comparison to other big capitals. Living there is cheap, a lot of artists enjoy this lifestyle but salaries are very low.
In Berlin it’s all about recycling. Within fashion too. There are a lot of second hand and vintage stores. People buy the basics and want things to last. Each of our pieces really embodies these three chapters in our lives and is vamped up with history, glam, style. Our garments are easy to wear and defy short-lived trends.
I think that our roots are our greatest influences ! Something very abstract but very French : the weight of History, Art and elegance !
It’s the definition of French chic !
M : Yes, in Paris we like to play it low-key ! We like to dress soberly and avoid eye contacts with people we don’t know. We take the metro, where you’re confined with other people. We had to learn how to behave and slip through ! In Los Angeles or in Berlin you can dress extravagantly and even be tacky, no one will ever notice ! You take your car, subways are empty. In the end style is a very geographical thing.
How do you manage production ? Is everything created in France ?
M : I draw everything and choose the fabrics and supplies, buttons, zips…We like to work with masters and French weavers, people whose craft has been passed on from generation to generation. All our jacquards come from the pays de la Loire, and our silk is from the region of Lyon. Then all our garments are created in Paris, from A to Z !
Has sourcing not been too complicated ?
M : You need to have intuition and be very smart ! The fashion business, especially at this level, is a very closed circuit and you need to prove yourself. Our suppliers were not used to working with people like us, people who are very straightforward ! They challenged us in the beginning, never tried to make it easier. But after a few months we managed to convince them with our strong ethical code and our concern for quality. Now they would move mountains for us !
A : We work with a woman who used to be Dalida’s dresser. She is now retired and made our first pieces : pencil skirt, wedding dress inspired by Dior and our long length silk dress which we called Marlene for M. Dietrich. It is inspired by the 20s and Berlin decadence. We also work with a man who is 72 years old and has golden hands…He worked for the greatest and understands our influences. He is the master of 40s and 50s details !
We really have a unique creative process in this industry, which explains why the workshops and suppliers support us so much. They told us that in 40 years they had never seen that ! We hear a lot about 100% made in France, but this is not a Designation of Origin. In fact if you add a French zip to a pair of jeans produced abroad, it can be considered as made in France. We are 100% Made in France. Actually we couldn’t be more Made in France, this matters a lot to us !
What are your favourite fabrics ?
M : We like to work on jacquard, a fabric with metallic threads, but also brocades, and guipures…These are often very complicated fabrics to assemble, very unsteady, but the result is worth it !
Where do you come from ?
A : I’m from the North of France, near Cambrai. There are a lot of embroidery and lace manufactures over there. I grew up and went to school with the children of the people who worked there. I witnessed their distress when the factories closed one after the other in order to be relocated abroad. My friends’ parents were all on the dole. This is why it was obvious for me to go back to the manufactures in the North of France when we were looking for specific supplies and a savoir-faire.
M : I come from La Garenne-Colombes near Paris. I love this place ! It’s like a small village, everything there is small and charming ! Most of my friends speak about the banlieue as if it was another continent. But they are all from outside Paris or from abroad ! I always find that funny !!
Who do you target ? What type of persons enter the shop ?
M : In the beginning I thought that our garments would be worn mostly by women with the same profile as me : in their twenties or thirties, fans of vintage clothes, not very interested in what’s in fashion and who would once in a while buy a statement piece they could wear for many years. In fact, our clothes appeal to a larger panel of women. We also receive women interested in trends. They come for super feminine and glamorous “basics” which they can then pair with more fashionable items. Finally some older ladies around 50/60 years old, very done up, like our style ! We get a lot of orders from people in Monaco, Cannes etc.
We also have this wave of young women who are inspired by Dita Von Teese and her pin-up style. And something else I was not expecting : 1/3 of our clients are men ! They come to make gifts to their loved ones. I find it great and very flattering !! Men want to see their wives dressed in Marilyn Feltz !! The ultimate recognition for a dressmaker !!!
Many thanks to our neighbours Marilyn et Alexis for the tea and for answering our many questions !
Marilyn Feltz Boutique,
17 Passage du Bourg-l’Abbé,
75002, Paris
Marilyn and Alexis welcome you from Tuesday to Saturday, 1pm to 7.30pm
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