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Margareth et Moi – The Couture Prêt-à-Porter Made in Paris

Since its origins in 2003, Margareth&Moi has forged a unique and instantly recognisable stylistic identity. The couture codes of this Parisian high-end designer brand are omnipresent and applied to each collection, whether the models are produced in small limited editions or as unique pieces. Gildas and Victoria’s first collection put the spotlight exclusively on the skirt, an essential element of a woman’s wardrobe. The sublime art-embroidered skirts instantly became an iconic element of the designers’ stylistic couture. Indeed, every Margareth&Moi garment is a true gem: timeless, unique, and treasurable. The collection featured nine skirts. Each displayed the highest level of craftsmanship that Gildas and Victoria have acquired in various Parisian Haute Couture fashion houses. As such, the beautiful skirts displayed their mastery of rigorous technical skills and level of savoir-faire excellency.

For this first collection, the talented duo of couturiers was awarded the City of Paris « Grand Prix ». The collection was featured in a fashion show at the Musée Galliera (Paris) before travelling to Japan to be displayed at the Isetan department store in Tokyo. Over the years, more fashion shows have taken place in Paris and Rome.

Gildas and Victoria have constantly been expressing their philosophy through their collections, eagerly striving to offer sophisticated yet pure cuts that reveal a woman’s elegance. Each of the sublime designers’ models fit perfectly into the list of staple (or essential) pieces on a feminine wardrobe. Functionality is not sought after in the designers’ collections. Instead, the main priority is for the clothes that have been carefully crafted in just a few carefully hand‑picked workshops to indulge women with the renewed pleasure of wearing chic and timeless pieces.

Fashion Collections for the collector : the couturier’s credo

In the same way as a piece of art or a jewel, a Margareth&Moi piece possesses a timelessness that is deliberate on the part of both the designers. Carefully thought out for them to last 10 or even 15 years, these beautiful models can adapt and endlessly reinvent themselves. “Beautiful clothes ignore seasonal requirements; they must be able to always exist ” Gildas says. And Victoria adds : “A woman always needs something out of the ordinary and that she can combine with her basics.” Customers will agree with Victoria as they know that most of the clothes they love are linked to a specific and important moment in their life.

Luxurious materials: fabrics for style

Gildas and Victoria share the same passion for superb fabrics, which they personally select from some of the Haute Couture’s best suppliers, in France and in Switzerland. Their preference is always for exceptional materials, such as silk faille (Taroni), their fetish fabric. To both designers this exquisite textile is extremely visual, and it incarnates the promise of a superb garment. As for cotton poplin from Switzerland, variants of which are used in the beautiful selection of shirts, the designers state that the fabric’s dramatic white captivates them. The choice of materials is as paramount as all the other stages of the creative process. Like clothing, fabric “tells a story”. What’s more, the structure of a fabric defines the garment’s fall; this a key element of the acclaimed look established by the young Margareth & Moi fashion house.

Defining a look by gesture and movement: secrets of an art

Gildas and Victoria share a bond, but they are also very complementary. This has provided them the means to set the codes of this new Margareth & Moi look and to create their own aesthetics. Throughout their designs, gesture and movement become the quintessence of the silhouette. Technically, it all starts by the garment’s construction, thoroughly analysed in every detail before it is carefully assembled, culminating in a garment that not only fits perfectly, but also encourages movement. During his experience in Tokyo, Gildas acquired a strong sense of Japanese aesthetics, which he applies to his creative vision. Starting from a geometrical shape and distorting it, he accentuates, adjusts or re-designs parts of the garment. Preserving scrupulously the adequate balance of proportions, both designers create a silhouette which is defined by the woman’s physical stance and the way she makes the garment move. Ultimately, the piece of clothing will position itself admirably, while at the same time it will ensure a most elegant and attractive posture. This is regularly checked throughout the adjustment process by Victoria’s sharp eye and Haute Couture expertise to scrutinise every aspect of the garment.

Couture savoir-faire: our workshop expertise

To achieve such polished models, Victoria and Gildas draw on the exceptional know‑how of their workshops that are located in France and in Catalonia. There, much in the same way as the two designers in the Margareth & Moi Paris fashion studio, the workshop artisans apply equally high-level standards to the implementation of each collection. Constant attention is paid to the tiniest of details, such as garment linings and finishes. Superb craftsmanship expertise is applied to every single piece of the different collections in order to achieve the Parisian fashion house’s emblematic sculptural pureness. The Margareth & Moi Paris fashion studio also provides made to measure dresses designed for women seeking a unique and timeless elegance.

GILDAS PENNEC
A taste for beauty

Described as an aesthete by those who know him, Gildas first hesitated between a career in fashion or in architecture. Fascinated by Paris, he used to draw a lot during his childhood years. This early passion for drawing certainly contributed to develop the 3D vision he now infuses in each of his designs. Following his initial induction to the Fine Arts in his native region of Normandy, his acquaintance with a fashion student proved to be a decisive element in his choice to pursue a career in fashion. Gildas joined the renowned Esmod fashion school in Paris, from which he successfully graduated with a degree in fashion design.

Paris and Japan, two aesthetics complementing one another

The young designer’s talent, high standards, and vision are spotted by Japanese fashion designer Yuki Torii, who rapidly invited Gildas to Tokyo. This immersion in Japanese culture and aesthetics will definitely be instrumental in defining Gildas’ view of clothing. Tirelessly working alongside the Japanese who are “over-informed about fashion”, Gildas says he greatly appreciated their thoroughness and the refinement which is so typical of Asia. While he was away from Paris, he also became aware of the universal passion generated by the distinguished “French taste”. After his return to France, the designer further developed his knowledge of the fashion industry by joining the press office of Karl Lagerfeld, a man he describes as having great charisma and the talent to design “well-made collections”.

Immersion in Haute Couture

Gildas was called-in to assist Parisian couturier Olivier Lapidus which was the decisive experience that helped him complete his path of initiation. As Olivier Lapidus’ assistant, his many duties ranged from managing the different couture workshops to organising the various fashion shows. Furthermore, he participated in the design of fashion accessories and the development of Olivier Lapidus licenses for glasses, hats, gloves and shoes. Over a period of 10 years, Gildas participated in developing 24 couture collections and brought his contribution to the management many related activities. It is during his working years with couturier Olivier Lapidus that Gildas met Victoria, with whom he would later go on to create Margareth & Moi.

VICTORIA HERNANDO
Fashion as a legacy

Victoria was introduced to the fashion industry at a young age while she was growing up in Barcelona. Her mother taught model-making, her father was a tailor, and her sister was a model-maker. The young girl likes to say that she grew up surrounded by sewing patterns that became a natural part of her upbringing. She herself started her career by modelling. Soon, her aristocratic looks and slender figure were spotted by the great Parisian couturiers, and she started working in Paris for prestigious Haute Couture houses such as Lacroix and Dior.

Parisian Haute Couture, a family story

Within the Parisian fashion studios, and particularly in the Dior studio where Gianfranco Ferré officiates, Victoria felt at home. As a fitting model, she had witnessed first-hand the genesis of fashion collections, from sketch to fashion show, through patterns and fabrics. Impressed with their technique mastery and their the preciseness of each procedure in the workshops, she confesses her profound admiration for the couture workshops’ magician artisans and the dexterity with which they craft the garments. While she was part of the teams that were at the core of legendary such legendary fashion houses, Victoria was constantly observing and she perfected her learning of the art of couture, which she considers to have been a great privilege.

Meeting Gildas, her professional alter ego

Victoria later went on to join another Parisian fashion house, Olivier Lapidus, where she met Gildas. She remains impressed by his great professionalism: “Gildas is ahead of his time in many aspects; he is quite a visionary.” When she met Gildas, Victoria quickly saw the huge potential he had in his ability to mix and match fabrics shapes, and styles, in an extremely modern way, and always with his own exquisite taste. The esteem is mutual. Victoria’s technical and artistic sensitivity, and her ability to analyse a garment’s construction in the blink of an eye, strongly appeal to Gildas. During those years working for Olivier Lapidus, Gildas offered Victoria to be his assistant designer. As such, they worked together on numerous fashion collections on behalf of the Parisian Olivier Lapidus designer brand, and started to lay the foundations for a future collaboration. This collaboration was redefined upon the creation of their own label, Margareth&Moi.