A TALK WITH ESTHER BANCEL

Esther and Morgan are the founding duo and married couple behind the Parisian label esther bancel.

esther bancel is one of the stylish and fashionable hand-made in France. They are committed to elegance and a mixture of traditional culture. esther bancel always not aiming at creating another brand, but focuses on creating a different experience brand from the original attire. Each year every collection of unisex pieces offers an incredible experience. Each piece made is well researched, studied, and created to disrupt the codes of elegance. However, there is esther bancel, tailoring pieces for those who refuse to choose between elegance & irreverence. They prepare unisex suits that are stylishly inspired by part of norms in society.

“when some see darkness, I often see poetry and romance”.

– https://www.estherbancel.com/ 

more than a brand, it’s a way of doing things that we want to develop. a movement that goes against the grain… 

A TALK WITH ESTHER BANCEL 

How does your label position itself on the international market?

We are an international brand. We are French and create in France but 95% of our customers are outside of France. And we are very proud of that.

How the label was born and where we can find it exactly?

I have known since I was a little girl that one day I would transform the clothes I made into a real brand. So it’s quite natural that at the end of my studies I immediately created my brand by launching an online website, which remains today our first sales support: http://www.estherbancel.com .

What do you think was/is the biggest challenge for you during the pandemic situation?

Inspiration! It was very difficult. Not going out anymore, not seeing anything, doing anything, I was like running out of gas to feed my creativity. It was complicated because I had to review and question many of my creative processes.

How do you determine what is durable design?

My definition is simple: have as little negative impact as possible around us and as much impact as possible. And that the gap between the 2 is constantly growing. This is what makes our actions sustainable.

What happens to those pieces that didn’t get sold?

We do not have this problem. We only manufacture to order. Our customers wait about 30 days to receive their part and it is always worth it. Then it feeds the idea that buying a garment is not a trivial matter. It is an important act. By making to order we are taking a stand against overproduction, but we are also reinforcing the idea that a garment should be thought about, worn and even passed on.

How far do you go in terms of sustainability?

We try to go as far as we can but we are far from perfect… but who is?

As explained, for us the goal is to have as little negative impact as possible but also to have as much positive impact as possible. Often people think that the fight stops at wanting to eliminate bad things like pollution, transportation, bad treatment of human beings… but they forget that with fashion, we can also organize our positive impact. And for us it’s just as important.

In fact, we don’t see the sustainable side of our business as a goal but rather as a prerequisite, a logical basis. So we don’t try to go as far as possible, we just do it, naturally.

Where could you serve as a role model for others?

We are not role models and do not seek to be, on the contrary. The uniqueness of each person is too important to try to copy.
If we could serve as a model, it would be in the choice not to have one 🙂

How art industry nowadays can help more the creatives?

There is a lot to do at this level and it could take us hours of discussion as there are so many topics: finance, structure, partnerships and collaborations… But last time we had an idea and we wondered why, just like singers who invite young artists to their concerts to be their “first part”, the big brands would not invite young designers to be “first parts” of fashion shows.

Can you tell us a little bit about your references for your inspirations?

the costume of the early 20th century and the Cabinets of Curiosities.

each esther bancel creation reinterprets elegance offering a conflict between know-how and avant-gardism.`

I remain very attached to these inspirations for each drop (yes we do drops and not collections). Then I like to explore historical moments or people that revolve around these inspirations. The last drop was largely thought around the family of Queen Victoria for example.

Which was the best-selling garment from your collections?

The merrick jacket_. It was a big success. It is a variation of the polish jacket. A jacket that we had already sold well. The unique cut of this piece makes it a perfect tailor jacket halfway between a creation and an everyday garment.

Which market are you interested in right now for your brand?

We want to continue to assert ourselves in our existing markets. We are still a young brand and we already have people who like what we do. We want to focus on them, not jumping the gun. England, USA, Belgium and Germany are among our most active markets. Today we remain focused on that.