The young Parisian house Bleu Comme Gris is repositioning itself halfway between haute couture and traditional children’s fashion brands. Its new Parisian boutique, located just a few steps from the Opera, in the prestigious rue Scribe, inaugurates a workshop dedicated to made-to-measure clothing.
By Blanche Rivière
Bleu Comme Gris intends to give itself a more haute couture look. It’s true that between the luxury brands, such as Dior or Chanel, and the traditional children’s fashion brands, such as Jacadi or Bonpoint, the market was relatively virgin until now. This is why the young Parisian brand, created in 2008 and initially focused on school uniforms, wants to reposition its offer in order to reach a demanding clientele that is not necessarily ready to turn to haute couture houses. It is precisely for this purpose that Bleu Comme Gris, already present in Paris, London and Lyon, recently inaugurated its third boutique in the heart of the capital, located a stone’s throw from the Opera, in the prestigious rue Scribe. And that it has installed a workshop dedicated to custom-made clothing. “This workshop, combined with the quality of our fabrics and their French origin, should allow us to distinguish ourselves from other children’s fashion brands,” explains Vanessa Marrapodi, the designer and artistic director of the house.
The store, with elegance typically Parisian – blue and grey wood furniture, white moldings, antique armchairs and tassel chandeliers – is a true haven of peace and tranquility, chic and welcoming, designed to best accommodate a clientele today mostly foreign – Middle East and North America in particular. Here, lace dresses rub shoulders with quilted pyjamas, the small blouses and knits for babies. All in one color unit, cheerful and shimmering. Behind the large windows, the workshop is organized of sewing. Spools of thread occupy the wall. This is where the magicians, as Vanessa Marrapodi calls them, make the clothes: patterns, fabrics and prototypes for future collections, but also numerous custom orders. “Our ready-to-wear collections stop in 12 years. We therefore receive many orders in large sizes,” notes the designer, adding that “unique creations for various events or ceremonies is also a request strong. “Present throughout the making and answering questions of the seamstresses, Vanessa Marrapodi inspects, refines and sometimes modifies a few details in order to achieve perfection.
If the production is overall, for the moment, carried out in Portugal, the creation is ensured here, rue Scribe. It is on the second floor of the store that the designer imagines her models, designs its collections and chooses its fabrics, the starting point of the creation. More than ever, his collections tend to titillate the world of luxury. What is The quality of the details and the choice of the buttons are very important. The linings, thus, are no longer made of cotton but satin. The pleating, is entrusted to Chanel. As for the embroidery, handmade, it comes from privileged workshops of Dior and Chanel. In addition to these new requirements, Bleu Comme Gris is working to offer complete outfits. This fall, the brand unveils a line of shoes to match the dresses.
Concerned about the quality of the fabrics, Vanessa Marrapodi is as much of the choices of colors and their unit. “It is through fabric and color that a collection is created. The rest just follows,” she says. In his office, the samples are not lacking. They are pinned to the wall, on an imposing cork panel. Usually 15 days, the drawings filled the pages of the book of the next season. Usually In this case, there is a profusion of gold and lace, silk and of pleats, embroideries and jacquards that will make you feel are only waiting for one thing: to make the little girls and their parents.
