At 26, Anouk is breathing new life into toile de Jouy. From her Montmartre apartment, the young designer imagines, cuts, and sews pieces all by herself where French heritage, Parisian flair, and Japanese inspiration meet.
Toile de Jouy has never truly left French interiors. Anouk, however, decided to take it off the walls. With Anouk.Montmartre, she transforms this history-steeped fabric into oversized kimonos, comfortable silhouettes, and pajamas with the look of collector's items. A unique way for her to foster a dialogue between the 18th century and today's Paris.
At the root of this adventure is a business school background, far removed from sewing. A background that serves her today as much in the creation of her pieces as in the management of her young company. After a year in fashion school, Anouk eventually learned to sew on her own at home and trained for nearly a year before launching her own brand.
“I started sewing for my friends and myself. I made simple, comfortable clothes. My friends told me I had talent and that I should go for it.”
She then began creating without a real career plan, simply carried by the desire to do it. Then came a designer market in Montmartre. The feedback was plentiful, the pieces were a hit, and doubt gradually gave way to the obvious: Anouk took the plunge.
“My idea was to bring my two passions together: Montmartre and fashion.”
Marie-Antoinette, but the Montmartre version
To understand Anouk's universe, you have to go back to another era. That of Marie-Antoinette, her extravagant dresses, and 18th-century aesthetics. A great admirer of Sofia Coppola's film Marie-Antoinette, the designer finds an obvious inspiration in this world.
“I love Marie-Antoinette, and especially the Sofia Coppola film. That is also why I chose toile de Jouy.”
But far from wanting to reproduce a historical wardrobe, Anouk has fun diverting it. The volumes become fuller, the pieces easier to wear, and the silhouettes borrow from Japanese attire. Toile de Jouy then changes its register: less demure, freer, and resolutely contemporary.
Fashion that doesn't travel
Anouk.Montmartre carries its neighborhood right into its fabrics. The designer sources them primarily at the Marché Saint-Pierre, just minutes from her home, then brings the materials back to her place to transform them, entirely by hand.
Here, there are no production lines or miles traveled before the garment reaches the hands of its owner. Anouk even occasionally delivers to some Parisian clients by bike.
“I love the idea that the product has traveled very little. The supply chain remains ultra-short.”
This proximity is not just a way of producing. It also tells a certain vision of fashion: that of a brand deeply rooted in its environment, where the garment remains linked to the person who imagined and made it.
The village spirit of Montmartre
Because for Anouk, Montmartre is not just an address. It is a source of inspiration.
She loves its village atmosphere, the unlikely encounters, the conversations that start on a street corner, and the bonds that are created over time.
“People know each other here. I even became best friends with my neighbor. Encounters have no age: my friends can be 26 or 55 years old. I love this neighborhood where we share through music, where we meet up in the squares or in the cafes.”
A philosophy she would like to see in her brand: sharing, meeting, and exchange.
So, for her second collection, Anouk decided not to create alone. She invited her community to take part in the creative process, convinced that good ideas can also be born from working together.
“I don't believe I am the only one holding creative power. I find that together, we sometimes create much more beautiful things.”
The results of this co-creation will soon be unveiled and will give birth to the next Anouk.Montmartre collection.
At 26, Anouk is ultimately not trying to choose between tradition and modernity. She prefers to let them coexist. Toile de Jouy, a sewing machine, an apartment in Montmartre, and a lot of passion: sometimes that is all it takes to reinvent a classic.