«You need a lot of self-control and a good fortune teller,» interview with Alice Vaillant For the Parisian brand, the secret to success is to stand on pointe
Alice Vaillant's collections draw inspiration from architecture, French sartorial traditions and contemporary femininity, but above all from the world of classical dance. The designer, born in 1995, grew up in an environment surrounded by ballet shoes and tutus thanks to her grandmother, the director of a theatre company who had turned her own apartment into an atelier for stage costumes. Before launching her eponymous brand in 2019, Vaillant danced for seven years at the Opera Ballet School. Every experience related to the world of ballet has had a significant impact on the artistic direction of her brand, an observation that the designer shares with us during our interview, but which is evident in every project of the brand. Soft palettes ranging from blush pink to nude, from transparencies to plunging necklines materialise in the form of enveloping silhouettes. They take shape thanks to additions of feathered volumes, three-dimensional weaves, details that make each look rich in optical depth. «My collections are inspired by the interplay between rigidity and movement,» says the designer. «I work with the layering of materials, the mix of technical pieces and free flowing styles, with contrasts, whether they be in colour, shape, or cut.» Of Vaillant's latest collections, the fiery red leather looks, the tops in transparent taffeta knotted at the neck, the berets and pendant bras leave a mark, but above all, the nonchalant energy with which they take to the catwalk, as if the brand was not born just five years ago. As Vaillant tells us, the imposing sartorial history of the capital of Haute Couture does not intimidate her; on the contrary: Paris is the best city to start from.
Apart from the Parisian woman who runs carefree from one commitment to another in stiletto heels, Vaillant dresses international stars like Dua Lipa, Bella Hadid, Rihanna, and Lisa from Blackpink, but dreams of being able to design costumes for theatre companies like Batsheva, Kidd Pivot, or La Horde. After running into the fortunate rise of the ballet-core aesthetic, Vaillant's future objectives take shape outside the endless cycle of trends. Adhering to passing fashions has never been of interest to the brand, the founder tells us, but exploring how women feel in a dress is. It's a matter of intuition, Vaillant adds. «I believe trends are an important part of fashion, but they don't influence my creative direction: I follow my instinct when creating my collections: the goal is to have a perfect mix between the two.» Despite her balancing act between opposites, the successes achieved in recent seasons demonstrate how Vaillant was able to find her centre of gravity. Just like on pointe.
