Thank you Voyage LA for this interview! Find full article here.
Today we’d like to introduce you to Audrey Tasiaux.
Hi Audrey, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Monte-Carlo, by the shores of the Mediterranean – a region blessed by the gods. I have an International Politics background – a galaxy away from all things fashion! I grew up in a bon vivant, very eclectic family that always encouraged my sister and I to be curious about what surrounds us – I remember my Mother bringing us to all possible activities, from pottery, krav maga combat training, painting, museums to summer survival camps!
Growing up in the South of France, blessed with a profusion of sun-infused products and where slow living is an art de vivre, gives a deep connection & a sense of poetry connected to Nature – without falling into New-Age tree-hugging pseudo-shamanic homilies! – which is a core pillar of my brand’s raison d’être.
I’m a collector of unique heirlooms and am obsessed with historical objets d’arts, which hold a proper ‘soul’ and stories. This probably comes from the curious XVIIIth century objects I used to play with in my grandmother’s house – my grandmother Diana to whom I tribute my brand.
My creative itinerary is deeply rooted in her aristocratic eclectism, the 1960s Italian palazzos Dolce Vita & Jazzy 1920s French Riviera art de vivre. The myriad of prints & colors on each piece is the tangible outcome of everything that makes me vibrate – whether it be plunging into Dada artists biographies, a Fellini film, a childhood scent (hello orange blossoms & rose de mai!), observing a gesture, literature heroins or historical ones such as Grace Jones, Empress Sissi & Carthage Queens. Plus a good dash of légèreté – after all, I come from a generation bottle-fed by Sex & the City Carrie Bradshaw!
I started this brand as a side project when I came back from Hong Kong where I worked for Hermès. In retrospect, I think launching Diana d’Orville was inevitable, as that inner flame of creativity has always been burning deep down.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Making your way through the fashion jungle can be extremely tough – sometimes you’ll bump into marvelous exotic creatures, sometimes into nightmarish animals! Sliding on the metaphor, I think it’s about learning how to protect yourself by building a carapace whilst keeping spontaneity and a certain sense of hedonism in the creative process. At the end of the day…it’s not brain surgery! I’ve met incredible people along the way – especially via our recently launched brand podcast – mini dynamic interviews over cappucino with leaders in the Arts & Creative industries such as Vincent Darré & Farrah el Dibany.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Diana d’Orville is a Sustainable Luxury brand built upon conscious artisanship. Sensational ‘palazzo’ silk sets allowing freedom of movement, liberation of body & soul.
Each piece is handcrafted in our Parisian atelier from French & Italian haute-couture fabrics in limited number of editions. I like to think of them as hero pieces that act as both an armor and cocoon – wearable art from your morning espresso to the red carpet! Each collection, tinged with History of Art references, is an invitation to travel in time, space & colorful Eldorados.
Besides our retail collections, we craft exclusive capsules for luxury hotels such as Eden Rock St Barths, Le Bristol Paris and The Maybourne Riviera. We also do many bespoke projects – my favourite ones are by far bridal!
What I’m most proud of:
Building a viable business based on respect of natural rythms & local artisanship as a response to today’s irrational production systems. Sustainable thinking today is not an option anymore.
Social & environmental initiatives we engage in, such as regular auctions for Lebanon and planting trees in Rwanda to support women-led farming & reforestation in the Gushwati region.
Being able to support & revive (at our own small level!) local métiers d’arts & artisanship that are disappearing under mass delocalization pressure & race to discount culture.
Last but not least, the opportunity to give women a bit of additional joy, extra confidence & strength in a world that constantly bombards them with distorted stereotypes, filters and culturally-constructed do’s & don’ts on how they should look, behave, speak (or not speak!).
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I see fashion as a discipline at the crossroads of art, history, architecture & design that mutually enrich each other. Always open to new projects!