Changes of fortune No. 3 - Marie Laffont
When thinking about contemporary women, I always think to myself that we live in an extraordinary time where “women” are able to decide, choose and have a voice. I can’t imagine living 50 years ago and having to be a certain way to fit societal standards.
I started this new project called “Voyage marked by changes of fortune” to share the story behind the people whom I am inspired by. Their journey in life and the unpredictable turns it had to get them were they are. I ‘ve always found fascinating the context around how they got to where they are, because the past is what shapes you to the now.
For this second interview, I thought of someone who is an odissea inspiration, so I picked…
Marie Laffont.
We met through friends in common back in 2020 and I instantly felt like we were going to be good friends.
Marie to me represents a contemporary superwoman - she is a daughter, sister, mom, wife, designer, friend and entrepreneur. I became very impressed by how she managed to live her “mom” life in such harmony with her social life. If any of you know Max, her oldest kid you would understand what I am talking about. Max is part of her life and all of ours, he hangs out with adults and he's the funniest little guy to have around and last year she was pregnant with her second child, Gaspard. Having witnessed her pregnancy, I was absolutely inspired to be a mom myself one day. She never set her life apart, and of course some things do change as you become a responsible adult. Goodbye smoking, drinking and a late night social life, but Marie has always been the one to be around and bring joy to the small “New York family”.
O: Marie, what does it mean to be a woman for you now?
M: Nowadays, women need to be strong and manage to juggle everything at the same time. Before chores were limited to taking care of the children and being “moms” but now you are a mom, wife and business woman - either working for a company or for yourself.
O: Last year was a very hard year, with a lot of things going on - as a business woman and a mom, what did you learn?
M: The world is in danger and as moms it's important to think about the future. Our kids and the future generations will have a very hard time co-existing on our planet if we continue as we are right now.
A take on I had from last year is time management. I think it is something a lot of people underestimate, but with my second baby I’ve realized it is critical for us to be able to focus on what makes us happy and what is important for us, which inevitably is what inspires our creative practice.
Since last year I’ve allowed myself to “dream”.
I started paying more attention to my needs - a wake up call telling me to take care of myself. Managing the time to eat well, drink well and enjoy life because we never know….
O: What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs who want to do the same as you?
M: Never give up.
O: What is your strongest inspiration?
M: Think more about quality than quantity. When creating Marie Laffont I wanted to create a brand which translated high quality & simplicity. All the homogeneric brands that mass produce have a very negative impact on our planet in terms of consumption, production and creation. People often think of high quality as too expensive and not worth it, but in the long run high quality products are an investment, and a long term one. My shoes are the highest quality, and they are crafted by Italian Artisans using their age-old techniques, making our shoes one of a kind.
As a small brand this is what I would like to convey: “Quality over quantity”.
O: What is the most important message that you want people to take away from when buying a pair of Marie Laffont?
M: As I said previously, my main priority for Marie Laffont is quality.
O: Where does your inspiration come from?
M: My collections are inspired by women artists whom I imagine wearing my shoes. For instance, my collection “Georgia” was inspired by Georgia O'keeffe and Frida. My boots are named after Frida Kahlo.
Later S/S 21 collection was an inspiration of the nostalgic feeling of missing the South of France, where I grew up going in the summers. During this time I hesitated if I would ever go back to the place I enjoyed as a kid so all the memories, the textures, and colors inspired me for this collection.
F/W was difficult because I lost my mom so the one pair of shoes I designed was GIGI, naming it after my mom.
Bon, that comes to an end of our interview with Marie Laffont, a superwoman odissea is very inspired by. Head to her website to learn more about her brand www.marielaffont.com and stay in touch for her upcoming releases!
