Drawing Inspiration From The Environment: All About Sustainable Handbags From ZOH
Photography by Jules Hayot.
1. Where do you come from?
I am a Parisian, who settled in Lège Cap Ferret in the southwest of France. I have lived there for 14 years.
2. Profession or Activities?
I am a textile designer who specializes in interior decoration and accessories. My creations are sold on my website or at the Cap Ferret market. I regularly carry out custom and customizable orders for decoration shops. I have produced several collections for stores abroad such as in Dubai, Los Angeles, Switzerland, and several cities in France.
3. What kind of brand are you?
I am a local brand. All my creations are handmade in Lège Cap Ferret, France.
4. Where are you making your creations?
I have reserved a workshop space inside my house.
Photography by Jules Hayot.
5. When did you first find a passion for interior decoration, and what inspires you?
I have been passionate about interior decoration since my earliest childhood. I grew up in the middle of the reclining club armchairs with my father and my grandfather, both of whom were upholsterers. I started my activity in 2012 when I decorated my girls' room. Attracted by noble materials and full of history, it is natural that I oriented my activity towards the creation of cushions. Adoring bargain hunting, furniture, and fabrics I started to create cushions out of old linen. I’m lucky to live by the ocean, between the sand dunes and the colorful oyster huts. I draw my inspiration from my environment. I also made a special collection "Cap Ferret". Each of my trips gives birth to a new collection.
6. What designer/artists inspire you?
My references in terms of decoration are the Pernoise house; the interior decoration brand Rock the Kasbah, whose designer is Philippe Xerri; the wild world of Béatrice Laval; and the journey of Sarah Lavoine, who started as an interior decorator.
7. What is the iconic product of your brand, and how do you produce it?
My Iconic product is the "Cap Ferret" cushion, which is sold all summer long to many tourists who want to leave with a souvenir. It is made in several materials: linen, cotton and old linen, handcrafted and embellished with a word or phrase in ink or paint.
Photography by Jules Hayot.
8. What’s the best opportunity you received?
My greatest reward was to be cited several times in recognized decoration magazines in France such as ELLE magazine and Art et Décoration.
9. How old are your customers and followers?
There are between 25 and 45 years old.
10. Why do you think they follow you?
My followers on Instagram follow me because they love interior decoration and are interested in French craftsmanship. Some people subscribe because they like Cap Ferret, and I share a lot of photos of the region as well as my daily life, my family life, and my cats
11. Please describe your style?
It is a seaside, elegant style, in natural materials with positive messages.
Photography by Jules Hayot.
12. Tell us about your new collection. What materials do you use for making the items? New this year, I created tote bags and pouches in faux sheepskin, 100% organic cotton, cushions, and knitted blankets with a new terracotta color. I also have a collection of cotton gauze in pastel colors.
13. Do you think your brand is environmentally conscious, and how is it so?
My brand is in keeping with the times: today it is important to avoid waste. As a result, half of my collection is made from recycled materials, old linen. My raw materials come mainly from France, which allows me to stay in a short circuit. All my labels and my packaging are made of paper, I don't use any plastic to protect the planet. I am concerned about my environment. I prefer fabrics from organic farming.
14. What are you most proud of, and why?
What makes me most proud is to exercise my passion, to live from it, and to have successfully developed my brand. I am also happy to be able to count on a loyal clientele, indeed many tourists from the four corners of the world return and never leave without a cushion.
Photography by Jules Hayot.
15. Tell us the premise of your Instagram page?
I created my Instagram account on June 15, 2014. My first publications are photos of my first cushions made using a burlap bag. I used to collect old grain sacks, often from the war, and transform them into cushions. I also recycled boat sails. I worked with much more raw materials to obtain an industrial style.
16. What is your motto in life?
"There is no chance there are only meetings", a quote from Paul Eluard. With the firm conviction that nothing happens by chance: everything is a story of meetings, friendships, and lives.
Photography by Jules Hayot.
17. What is next for you?
The next step will be the design and manufacturing of the new summer 2020 collection and coming up with new ideas during my trip to New York in the spring.
18. Website?
https://shop.zoh.fr/fr/
19. Instagram?
@zoh.fr
Interview by Jules Hayot, Contributing Editor, PhotoBook Magazine.
Style With A Cause highlights designers who support a cause such as sustainability, charities, and fair trade.
