Thrilled to be part of haute-craftsmanship design emporium Koket / Love Happens Magazine ‘Empowering Women’ series!
Find full interview here
“In this edition of Empowered Women Empower, join us for a peek inside the inspiring world of Audrey Tasiaux founder of Diana d’Orville, a Monaco-based sustainable luxury couture brand. Diana d’Orville offers unique pieces handcrafted in the brand’s French Riviera and Parisian ateliers made of the finest French and Italian haute-couture fabrics. Each a wearable objet d’art!
As a luxury brands consultant and the Art Director of Diana d’Orville, Audrey is a master of creative direction. Diana d’Orville collections are inspired by the history of art and ancient civilizations, a topic Audrey is passionate about, along with her love of the vibrant South of France/Mediterranean where she grew up.
Love Happens had the honor of asking Audrey some questions about her brand and experiences as an empowering female entrepreneur in the world of fashion and her passion for sustainable luxury. Read on and be empowered!
Love Happens: As our name, and the tagline of our publisher KOKET denotes, at ‘Love Happens’ we are firm believers that you cannot achieve any level of success without love. When did your love affair with creativity begin? And how did it make you feel?
Audrey Tasiaux: I grew up in Monaco on the shores of the Mediterranean in symbiosis with nature, the mountains and crystal-blue seas. My creative itinerary is a love affair with my beloved South of France’s unique morning sunrays, vibrance, and vivid colors, authentic villages that inspired so many ‘masters of light’, from Matisse to Picasso to Braque, Signac & Chagall. The romance of the south of France, where flowers bloom effortlessly and joie de vivre is a way of life, its lavender fields, and morning farmers markets where perfumes of local soaps, pichades & socca, roasted figs & orange blossoms aromas float up in the air.
The timeless enchantment of its peaceful fishermen villages where different cultures have been encountering for centuries, the quintessence of Belle Époque extravaganza at Villa Ephrussi, the authentic charms of Nice’s colorful old town and marché aux fleurs where the Diana d’Orville saga began in a small atelier.
A poetic blend of Fitzgerald’s jazzy Riviera, Marcel Pagnol’s Le Château de ma Mère, Françoise Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse, and Slim Aarons’ Swinging Sixties era.
Lh: Tell us a bit about your path and what led to your decision to create wearable objets d’art and start Diana d’Orville?
Audrey: My career path was originally far, far away from all things fashion! I have a background in politics and international business but have always been sensitive to discovering local folklores, family heirlooms, art and objects holding history and soul, for which Diana d’Orville is the tangible outcome—a sustainable luxury brand celebrating true French artisanship & couture heritage in respect of its environment and its people. It goes beyond clothes—it has a clear vision, conception of life, and commitments—an état d’esprit as we say in French, a reflection of anything that makes me vibrate.
Lh: We are living in a time where fashion is in a state of transforming, slowing, going green, etc. What do you envision the fashion industry looking like 10 years from now?
Audrey: I really hope sustainability will be the new normal by then—it is not an option anymore but necessary to our survival and to a peaceful future. Fashion is inherently political—throughout history, it has reverberated cultural, social, and political movements. Whether it be the Sans-Culottes during the French Revolution, or the 1970s black Panthers.
Today we are at a new point of rupture at so many levels, and this is what makes our times so interesting—it is our responsibility as designers, consumers, investors, and regulators to drive change. A pair of jeans that costs 30 Euros undoubtedly has an environmental and social toll somewhere! The fashion industry is based on reinventing itself season after season creatively—so can it at the industrial and supply chain level—it just requires a little effort rethinking deeply everything from raw material to packaging as everything is so intertwined.
In an industry that is still widely opaque, I think Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence technologies are going to fast-forward this sustainable movement as they enable a cleaner, more traceable way of producing fashion, therefore more transparency encouraging more reasonable ways of consuming it. It has taken me a very long time and countless quality and background checks to partner with suppliers that share our values—local production, reducing our carbon footprint wherever possible, no chemicals involved in the process, no plastic (or only recycled), no water or harming dyes, and long-term mutually beneficial vision.
The recent hustle and bustle around crypto wearables and NFTs is also an interesting turn for fashion I’m keeping an eye on. Anything controversial is worth digging a bit!
Lh: Who is Audrey Tasiaux the Woman?
Audrey: A zero-filter, terribly clumsy, and stubborn epicurean! I was born under Venus as ruling planet & Earth as element—which probably explains my penchant for everything in paradox—I thrive when surrounded by eclectic people in ‘ordered chaos’ environments. I consider myself an aesthete yet find true beauty in imperfection.
Lh: What empowers you?
Audrey: The freedom to jump into the unknown and overcome my fears, and building a future I want for myself. The possibility to empower other women through Diana d’Orville which encourages body positivity, joy, and liberation of body and soul is very empowering!
Lh: What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Audrey: Having overcome serious anorexia for years has been one of my greatest battles/achievements. I think launching Diana d’Orville has in a way saved me. Building something from scratch with a real purpose, a social and environmental commitment, and learning everything on the spot forced me to switch on being more gentle with myself and overcome psychological blockages with food. I am so happy now! I don’t know if it is an achievement or rather immense luck, but I am surrounded by extraordinary friends and family—they are a powerhouse of inspiration and encouragement.
Lh: What advice would you give to a young woman starting a fashion brand?
Audrey: Hold on to the ‘why’ you started it when things get spicy. If plan A didn’t work, there are 25 more letters in the alphabet! Talk to people, get outside to feel the zeitgeist, be curious about every possible thing that surrounds you, read (a lot!), watch documentaries, mess up…a bit!, wake up early.
And most importantly—surround yourself with people who bring you up and take care of yourself! Sane decisions and keeping up, in the long run, can only be made if body, mind, and spirit are aligned and at their full potential. Health is wealth!
Lh: Do you have any mottos you like to live by?
Audrey: “Keep going stay strong make it a laugh.” I saw it written on a wall at a survival camp in the middle of Scotland when I was 15 and never ceased since then to pump up my jam in turbulent times!!!!
Lh: What’s next for Audrey Tasiaux and Diana d’Orville?
Audrey: I moved to Madrid in January—a very last-minute decision following the heart! We recently released an exclusive collaboration with Eden Rock St Barths! And considering bringing Diana d’Orville into the metaverse—blending cutting-edge technologies with ancestral craftsmanship. Stay tuned!