“My clothes give the courage to lift Kilimanjaro. “ Extracted from the text presenting his ultimate collection for Galeries Lafayette, in February 2019, the sentence rings strangely true today. After having put to sleep the family label of which she had held the reins for twenty years, after five seasons at the artistic direction of the department store’s own brand, Laetitia Ivanez decided to relaunch on her own her beloved label, Les Prairies de Paris.
“ It is difficult to convince financiers when we take the thread of a fashion story, she explains. Especially when you have the idea of telling it in an episodic fiction, which you could afford with a click of the content, clothes and elements of the decor! “
Stock repatriated to Marseille
Imagination and fantasy slung over the shoulder, the ex-actress likes to stage the clothes she creates: for her first show in 2001, in the furniture department of Bon Marché, she slips foliage into the cuffs of pants, which flies away when the models walk. A parade-demonstration in the street will follow, dances in the press editorial offices, concerts in shops, a conference at the headquarters of the Communist Party …
1 – “I am 9 years old, we are returning from Spain with my parents in this busy Austin. I am still this little girl, barefoot, a little gypsy, wild and natural.” Photo: Laetitia Ivanez
2 – “View from Marseille on the private island Degaby that we could almost swim to. I have a wonderful memory of a festive night ending in sleeping bags installed at the water’s edge. J love the idea of the sea in the city. ” Photo: Thomas Cantoni
3- “David Bowie designed by our Marseille graphic designer Thomas Cantoni, then screen-printed on our winter 2010 t-shirts. One of my musical references.” Photo: Thomas Cantoni
4 – “Music holds an important place in my daily life, it nourishes my inspirations. My tastes are very eclectic, from Vivaldi to Gainsbourg, from Beck to Damian Marley. This record player belongs to my companion, it symbolizes this passion that we have both animate. ” Photo: Laetitia Ivanez
5 – “The events hold a major place in the development of the image of the Prairies of Paris. For the presentation of spring-summer 2013, we collaborated with the plastic artist Thomas Lélu, who imagined protest signs that the models wanted to arm’s length. “Photo: Afifia B.
6 – “For the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, I revisited the legendary clothes of great films, like the raincoat of Mon Oncle by Jacques Tati. They were worn by actors, here Pierre Richard (in the center), then photographed by Fred Lebain who then produced collages. These works were put on sale for the benefit of Sidaction. ” Photo: Fred Le Bain
7 – “I love the singer Peter von Poehl. I have been making his stage costumes for two years. A real source of inspiration, he made me want to launch Les Prairies de Paris H for winter 2013, a male wardrobe for which I have re-adapted female models from previous collections. ” Photo: Margaux Lonnberg
“In the fall of 2019, I wanted to show that I was capable of setting up this project. I called the film school La Fémis. They introduced me to directors. I liked the work of Axel Würsten. Without a budget, I formed a team. The film was supposed to be ready for November but we were in the midst of a social movement. Paris was blocked. Paris was on fire. “
The film Kiss Me will be screened to the press, after the sales period, at the end of January 2020. A day of general strike. The eight interactive sketches are unveiled in February, simultaneously on the brand’s Instagram account and on the specially created merchant site.
A few weeks later, the country is confined. Laetitia Ivanez repatriates her stock to Marseille, where she settles until the summer with a childhood friend. “I prepared the packages of the orders and I was going to mail them. The Marseillaises who bought on the site came in the 12e district, sometimes I crossed the countryside with a dress to deliver it to the gate “, has fun this solar girl with jet black hair and shiny black eyes, whom nothing seems to disarm. “I was also looking for funds to continue. I still want to say things to the Prairies de Paris. “
A multipocket trench coat inspired by the pandemic
When, in June, she organizes a sale in the capital, the designer realizes that a “remote” store does not correspond completely to her. “I realized how important the exchange with customers was to explain my brand. “ While waiting to find a more tangible, more human place, the pandemic has inspired him for the winter with a multi-pocket trench coat, equipped with lots of accessories, some of which are very Covid. friendly : door opener hook, disinfectant liquid bottle, silk mask. The Gadget Mac will be sold for pre-order on the site.
For the sake of reasoned production, and also by financial constraint, Laetitia Ivanez has integrated manufacturing and sales processes in line with current issues. “In a circular economy and more responsible fashion approach, I have chosen a manufacturing workshop near Paris, and I will also use stocks of fabrics from major brands. Producing in reduced quantities fits quite well with my new space, which is very small. “
“I put a lot of heart into it. I do not open a shop, I open an address, a place of sharing adapted to the time. »Laetitia Ivanez
On this beautiful and chilly April day, after cycling to the rue de Fleurus, we leaned against the gates of the Luxembourg garden, facing the dapper white building where Les Prairies de Paris have just elected. home. The storefront freshly painted in mat green echoes the garden. “I call it ‘my bush’. It’s my smallest project and the one I prefer ”, says Laetitia Ivanez. “I put a lot of heart into it. I do not open a shop, I open an address, a place of sharing adapted to the time. “
The development of this island of “greenery” of 14 square meters was entrusted to Thomas Phélizon, the architect of the 200 square meters of the former boutique-gallery of the Marais. Bell at the entrance, retractable curtain for the dressing room, stool seats inlaid in the display case, funny mismatched hangers… Laetitia Ivanez takes care of the details.
Spring-summer joyful side of the wardrobe
Each season, the works (available for sale) by a guest artist will set the tone. The sunny landscapes and portraits of the painter Adrien P will brighten up this spring-summer, also joyful in the wardrobe. “I’m revisiting my father’s historic gauze petticoat [Louis Ivanez, fondateur des Prairies de Paris] and I imagined a multicolored weekly folder of shirts, delivered fastened by a leather belt. There will be kimonos, jogging pants and pumps with crest of all colors, a petticoat dress, a sarong with a bustier, a silver jacket… ”
The website was put on standby to accommodate the opening of the small box, postponed due to late work, and third confinement. At the beginning, Laetitia Ivanez herself will bring the place to life, intensely. She has a thousand ideas. On the 1977 Pioneer turntable, she will play the selection of vinyl records (for sale) from the Quentin record store. And will wrap purchases, clothes or objects picked up by him, in paper printed with a painting by Sormiou in Marseille. With a wooden handle to carry them like Sunday cakes.
