Please introduce us to yourself
I graduated with a B.A in Fashion Design from ACL in London in the late 80s. I was lucky to be hired immediately to work behind the scenes in designer showrooms, Guy Laroche amongst a few others. From there I moved on to retail in London and for a few years in France starting at Blanc Bleu and moving onto multi-brand designers in a shop in Cannes: Plein Sud, Marithé et François Girbaud, Jean Paul Gaultier, where I was also given the opportunity to attend buying trips. After Sept 11th I needed to stop what I was doing and regroup.
One of my other loves is writing and I was given the opportunity to incorporate both fashion and writing in the publication Pashion. I spent a few years working for the magazine and had some memorable experiences I will never forget. I then decided to part ways in order to find a better creative fit. And that came along about 10 years later with vintage clothing: the ultimate in sustainability, a movement which is growing from strength to strength that heralds a new era in fashion.
How did the brand concept start? What makes it different?
I started “Re Concept Designs” in 2017 here in the South of France after finding vintage designer silk scarves in a charity shop that had signs of wear. The idea came to me to take the damaged scarf (whether it was a pulled thread, a small rip hole, or a stain) and rework it by hiding the wear and tear with artfully placed patches, pompom trims, ruffles, lace to maintain the “integrity” of their former glory by breathing new life into each piece, yet never steering far from todays fashions dictates.
And where are you currently selling?
I started a small collection of restyled vintage designer silk scarves, each one labeled with a brief history of the designer and sold it to my first customer: Myhydra Boutique, a concept store on the Greek Island Hydra. They sold out in no time and ordered more. I have now been working for them for 3 years, this being my 4th. The collection has expanded to include restyled vintage kimonos that are deconstructed and reworked as well as other pieces that I come across that speak to me.
I also sold in Cannes for a few years in a concept store that I outgrew in price point and am currently working in Saint Tropez at a 5 star boutique hotel, Hotel Sezz. I am looking for opportunities in a major city that is my next goal as well as setting up an online e-shop. I can be contacted for purchases on Instagram @re_concept_designs_wear.
What are your next projects?
I work solo doing just about everything including hand finishing each piece. I have a friend who is presently lending a hand for all major work I need when I take pieces apart, and thanks to her, I can let my imagination loose.
In a nutshell, I create capsule collections of colorful and unique high fashion pieces in a mid to high price range; from hoodie scarves, bags and womenswear, the foundation of each item is pure vintage. I am trying to dispel the repulsion people, specifically the Arab fashion consumer, once had for “other peoples clothes” which are considered unclean by educating them to alter their impressions and embrace my pieces for what they are: fashion collectibles.
I work tirelessly because I love what I do and stand by it 100% and the beauty in what I do is that if a piece doesn’t sell, I take it apart and do something else. Creativity knows no bounds and I have an abundance of ideas.
Text by Victor Gee
