The woman having breakfast with me in a cafe on the Rue de Grenelle in Paris is Morgane Sézalory, the force behind Sézane, the cult French label that began life as the country’s first ecommerce brand more than a decade ago.
Often described as the epitome of French chic, and by the Business of Fashion as one of the world’s leading creators, her many fans include Taylor Swift, Sienna Miller and Kate Middleton, all attracted to her brand’s well-cut trousers, flattering jeans, soft knitwear, girly blouses and luxury leathers at accessible price points.
Her company, which began with flea-market finds, is now worth €1 billion, with seven shops in Paris, two in London and elsewhere in Europe and 10 in the US. The day before our meeting I visited her first shop on the Place St Fiacre (called after the Irish monk), which she opened in 2015, in what was then a rundown area of the Marais, after her online database had grown to more than 300,000.
It is a beautiful light filled corner building with handsome windows, old furniture and fittings. That afternoon, it was packed with avid buyers of all ages, trawling through the vintage-inspired clothes and accessories.
RM Block
Sézalory, dressed comfortably in an oversize cable cardigan and jeans, having just left her three young daughters to school, has none of the hard polish that successful entrepreneurs often exhibit, but is gentle and unassuming. She discovered at 17, after putting together a photographic project, that she had an eye and instinct for beautiful things, and how to put them together in a creative and stylish way.
She is from a modest family background of accountants, who were business rather than creatively focused. She initially thought of studying political science after her baccalaureate. It had never occurred to her that she could do something creative, but “I knew I wanted to be independent, and I had always loved fashion”.
Flea markets and vintage shops were her hunting grounds. “At one point I realised I had too many things, so I decided to sell them. And that was how it began, the first sale being a vintage Courrèges – you could find beautiful things then; it’s harder now. I never thought it was the beginning of a business, but I realised I was earning money.”
With the help of a US company, she developed a website, and in the first catalogue had 100 pieces for sale every month. “It changed my life. It taught me everything about fashion, I learned about cut and colour and found so many things from the 19th and 20th century. I learned about the idea of timelessness, things that last.”
Demand was so high that she started to create her own designs, initially just one a month along with her flea-market finds. “It went so well, and everyone wanted the design pieces, so I would repeat one in another colour. There were 18 pieces in my first collection.” Her stores, called L’Appartement, are designed to be inviting, as if she is welcoming customers to her home.
That love of timeless pieces remains central to the ethos of Sézane. “What we do is a mix of essential but practical pieces along with those that are more elevated. I think Sézane is honest, we don’t pretend to be what we are not. I love women and want to dress them in their everyday lives.”
In the shop, some of the knitwear, all in white, is displayed folded and stacked on floor-to-ceiling cases, the jeans in different shades and shapes hang by their loops, dresses have a bohemian air, and good-looking leather bags and shoes are well priced.
She attributes her resourcefulness and love of vintage finds to her mother, who was the youngest of nine. Last year, her mother developed cancer. “I was with her during treatment, and it was the first time I had time to think and slow down and really saw what I had built for myself without a plan. I am 40 now and it has led me to a good place, and I am happy that someone like me has managed to build a company [she now employs 700] where people feel happy. I am instinctive, intuitive and when hiring people, I have a second sense and try to give a chance to those who might not otherwise have one.”
She created Demain in 2018, a philanthropic programme which supports global charities working to equalise fundamental rights. Since its creation it has raised €10 million to support the Pink Ribbon Foundation, Women’s Cancer Research Fund and the FDM (Fondation Pour La Rechere Médicale).
But back to fashion. “I know clearly what I want and where we need to go. I always start with fabric and colour and the shapes that I want. I want things to look exactly what is in my mind.” If clothes carry the imprint of those that design them, there is a lot of Morgane Sézalory in what she creates, which is part of their appeal.
Sézane is also a “proud” B Corp company; more than three-quarters of its materials are eco-friendly and 80 per cant of their creations carry trusted certification. Most of the clothes are made in Europe; some, like the more intricate and fine woollen jumpers, are made in China.
She lives with her partner and three children on the Left Bank in a top-floor apartment. “We don’t have a garden – as we did in the Rue du Bac” – her first home which is now a showroom for Sézane – “but we have the sky, and light is so important.”
Irish customers will have the chance to see the winter collection first-hand at the brand’s exclusive pop-up on the second floor of Brown Thomas, its first appearance in Ireland, from November 6th. It will feature knitwear, outerwear, tailored day wear, leather goods, jewellery and accessories. “Ireland has always had a special place in my heart,” says Sézalory, who has often visited, “and I’ve long admired its warmth and sense of style”. sezane.com
