Fun & Famous

INTERVIEW with

JéRôME DREYFUSS

As I recently proclaimed: I have become a bit in love with Jérôme Dreyfuss. If you are now thinking: Jérôme who? Well, he is the love of Isabel Marant. And the best man makes bags, you wouldn't want to know. No trendy shizzle for Jérôme, but functional arm accessories that a woman seriously needs. And also very nice shoes. I visited him in his new showroom in Paris to chat about his collection, life, and okay okay, also to gossip a little about Kim Kardashian. Because if anything the talk of the week was in the French capital, it was her...

First of all, congratulations on your new showroom! What did you consider when designing this collection?

“Thank you! I try not to design collections that follow the latest trends or anything. I actually don't like that at all. When making the bags, I really look at what women need. Functionality is my top priority.”

What does the modern woman for example ‘need’?
“I regularly ask my girlfriends and Isabel what I can design to make their lives and those of other women easier. Almost every woman carries a bag every day. Dozens of items are stuffed in there, and then you lose everything again. I now have a number of bags with a small flashlight in them, to shine a light. And I have designed power banks that you can easily carry in your bag to charge your phone, for example.”

All your bags have men's names. How did that come about?
“That's right. It actually started more as a joke. I had named a number of bags after friends of mine (for example Gérald, Eliot, and Igor) and it has always stayed that way. My friends now make it a kind of competition among themselves. Like: ‘Oh, don't you have a bag named after you yet? No? Mine is a bestseller.’ I can always laugh about that.”

Do you see it as an advantage that your wife is also in fashion?

“Absolutely! With my ex, I sometimes had a problem when I came home at one o'clock at night after wanting to work late. Now I don't have to worry about that anymore, because Isabel understands it and works just as hard herself, haha.’ arguing But how do you make time for each other?”

“We have a little house about an hour's drive from Paris, in the middle of nowhere, where we actually retreat every weekend from Friday to Sunday. There isn't even running water or electricity there, we just swim in the river. Although it is a bit cold now, haha. But really, it is wonderful to isolate yourselves like that together. It works perfectly for us.”

“And, it has to be asked. Kim K. was of course robbed here in Paris last week. How is that felt here?”

“It comes up several times a day. Look, if you ask me, no one deserves to go through such frightening moments, but Kim has also become a bit of a victim of her own stupidity. She is just showing off all her millions of material on social media. And besides: it was made very easy for her. Quite a few people know where she eats and sleeps when she comes to Fashion Week.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes. In fact: I wanted to go out to dinner at a popular restaurant last week and suddenly there were forty photographers in front of the door. So I asked why they were waiting there. 'For Kim,' I got as an answer. Then I asked how they knew she would be there. 'One of us just called her, we also know where she is going to eat tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow too.'”
“Hmm, that was somewhat to be expected, but to hear it like this sounds quite strange or something. Her life is really a predetermined plan...“

“Exactly. And it is also somewhat logical, because she also has deals with designers. If she goes out to dinner in a certain dress and maybe gets paid well for it, then it makes sense that she informs her paparazzi friends about it. But it also makes you vulnerable, and that has been confirmed once again. You wouldn't wish this on anyone.”

“As I recently proclaimed: I have become a bit in love with Jérôme Dreyfuss. If you are now thinking: Jérôme who? Well, he is the love of Isabel Marant. this week As I recently proclaimed: I have become a bit in love with Jérôme Dreyfuss. If you are now thinking: Jérôme who? Well, he is the love of Isabel Marant. And the best man makes bags...”