Sophie Albou, founder and creative director of the fashion brand Paul & Joe, visited Dubai at the opening of her new boutique in the Dubai Festival City mall. We were among those few who managed to talk with this young, charming and, of course, talented woman.
- Sophie, please tell me why and when you started to design clothes?
- It's all my mom (laughs). She is a designer and fashion designer of men's clothing. And while I was still a very little girl, I kept spinning around her, playing with shreds. This probably happens with all children whose mothers sew clothes. But, as an adult, I was not going to become a designer of clothes or a seamstress at all. I wanted to become a journalist, travel to different countries, write reports.
- Great, maybe then we could meet at a press briefing somewhere…
- Exactly, we would definitely meet. But what I am doing now, in my opinion, is akin to journalism. I constantly work with interesting people, communicate with them, travel to a variety of exciting countries, where I present my work. And I like it. All I do today is the creation and production of beautiful clothes. And my mother taught me this (who, by the way, was sitting nearby and was happy for her daughter, answering dozens of questions from journalists - ed.).
- And where did you start?
- I started with collections for men. I wanted to create something unusual for the stronger sex, since men's fashion seemed to me, let's say, pretty sad. Not many fashion brands at the beginning of my career produced men's collections. They probably thought that fashion for men is not so important. I decided to make changes in the world of men's fashion, and my customers, who liked my clothes, convinced me that I had to do something special for women.
Here again, everything happened contrary to my wishes. I did not want to create women's clothing, because I thought that the women's fashion market is so saturated, and even oversaturated, that I will not be able to accept something new. But I took a chance, and it seemed to work out. Today, under the Paul & Joe brand, men's, women's and children's collections, shoes, bags, various accessories, and household goods are produced. We, as a brand, have grown quite quickly and are now successfully developing further. I even design the interiors of my boutiques myself.
- Sophie, how did the Paul & Joe brand name appear?
- Everything is very simple. These are the names of my sons Paul and Joey. Next time I will definitely take them with me to Dubai. I really liked it here. This city is completely different from Europe and what we are used to seeing around us. When I first came to Dubai, I was shocked. This is indeed a city in which the future takes shape. Here you can touch the future hand, see all its scope and all its beauty. This is amazing!
- Tell me, have you already represented the Paul & Joe brand in Russia?
- Not yet, but I will definitely do it in the near future. I really want to go to Moscow and St. Petersburg. I heard so much good about these cities! I read amazing books and magazine publications about Russia, watched a lot of TV shows, and really want to get to know your great and amazing country very closely.
- In your boutique in Paris, for sure, there are buyers from Russia. In your opinion, what are their preferences in clothes, shoes and accessories?
- You know, usually I don’t think about what customers would like to see in my boutique. Moreover, for me it does not even matter what nationality they are. I try to project my sense of fashion and style in my collections, offer my clients a new vision of what will be good next season, which element can decorate an existing wardrobe. I try not to follow my expectations too much, because we are working so successfully in countries such as Japan, the countries of Southeast Asia, and now here is the UAE, that it encourages me to create more and more unexpected things that are beyond any fashionable ones. trends declared by others, sometimes by larger and eminent designers and fashion houses.
- Sophie, all of your collections are riddled with bright colors. Is it an expression of your personality or a desire to create new trends in fashion?
- Rather, the first. I myself really like bright colors - pink, purple, red, blue. This is probably why I really like when people dress in cheerful shades. I try to create such clothes and shoes so that everyone in it is easy and fun. There are many people who do not like to blindly follow the trends that are dictated by the famous and major players of the fashion roar. It is such buyers who most often discover the world young and unknown brands of fashionable clothes, which are later popularized due to publications in the press or photographs from any international presentations and ceremonies. I am grateful to such customers, because, it seems, it is for them that I create my own fashionable and colorful world.
- Sophie, being a woman, you boldly entered the world of fashion, where men traditionally dominate. Wasn’t it scary?
- I don’t remember. It seems to me that people are always ready to discover something new. I think everyone without exception sometimes wants to feel discoverers. My strong and famous compatriots, such as Yves Saint Laurent or Christian Lacroix and Karl Lagerfeld, did not scare me. On the contrary, I even created a special collection for the Pierre Cardin House, with which I will be happy to work with over the next seven years. A collection called Paul & Joe for Pierre Cardin is available at all our boutiques. So, even with the masters of Parisian fashion, you can find a common language. Moreover, we all serve the same capricious lady. And her name is Fashion.
- Your dresses have a lot of hand embroidery, beading and rhinestones. What is this - a special calculation for a Middle Eastern buyer, inclined to rich jewelry, or to give fashion to oriental traditions? And where is all this beauty created?
- I think that beautifully decorated dresses are loved by all girls and women, not only oriental beauties. Of course, I do not have a daughter, but only two sons, but I know for sure what my niece likes and what dress will please me or my mother. A woman, regardless of the country in which she lives, always remains a woman. Therefore, the abundance of embroideries and sparkles is not a tribute to the oriental fashion for splendor and splendor. First of all, it is a good mood and joy. My goal is to make clothes and shoes that make a person feel good. Is always. Both in the winter, and in the summer. All our collections are created in Paris, I have my own sewing workshops there. If we talk about embroideries, yes - this is manual work, often made by craftsmen from India and China.
“Sophie, in conclusion of our conversation, tell us what we should always remember when choosing our wardrobe?”
- First of all, about the image that you are trying to create. Then about those colors that suit your face and that complement each other well in your suit. Important points are the time of year, as well as the part of the world in which you live. But perhaps the most important thing is how you feel. If you like the way you look, then your costume is perfect. It sets the tone for your day and your whole life. Do not be afraid of experiments. Here is my motto and advice to all your readers. Until we meet again
