“A known name was a boost, but the test must be transformed”
Four years ago, Pauline Ducruet launched her eco-responsible and unisex clothing brand, Alter Designs. Today, it is with pride that the daughter of Stéphanie of Monaco presents her creations in Paris, at the Printemps Haussmann.
Appointment is made at 7e Ciel, the top floor of Printemps Haussmann dedicated to second-hand and eco-responsible fashion. This November 17, an hour before the inauguration of the pop-up of her brand Alter, Pauline Ducruet joins us, somewhat stressed but with a smile. Under the majestic Coupole Binet, around an iced tea, the young stylist gives us news of the green and unisex label that she created four years ago.
While waiting to discover her new collection in January 2023, during Paris Men’s Fashion Week, the Monegasque tells us about her collaboration with Le Printemps. In addition to pieces from her latest fall-winter 2022 collection, the designer is offering a few clothes and accessories created especially for the occasion. It must be said that the theme chosen by the department store for the end of year celebrations was made for her: the circus. A perfect universe for the one who grew up in the front row of the Monte-Carlo Circus Festival and created from the passion of her famous mother, the princess Stephanie of Monacofor what happens under the marquee.
Paris Match. How do you see the evolution of your brand, four years after its launch?
Pauline Ducruet. I have a lot of tenderness for the Pauline who started this four years ago. I was on my own, now I have a team around me, so the evolution is in the collections, also in the brand’s ambitions. Four years ago, I would never have thought I would arrive at Printemps, a staple of Parisian department stores. The evolution was done slowly at the beginning because it was just before the covid and it was a bit complicated. But today, I feel a lot of pride.
Was the notoriety of your family an asset or a hindrance when you started?
We must not hide our face, I think it was a boost to have a known name in this environment. We asked for the spotlights which are more easily turned on you, but you have to know how to transform the essay, to prove that you are serious people and that it is not a whim. Fashion is really my whole life, it’s a childhood dream that I’m realizing and I don’t intend to stop there.
A few words about your latest fall-winter 2022 collection?
I drew it when I was still in New York, before the covid. The previous collection was very inspired by the big cities, the lights, the hustle and bustle… For this one, I wanted to put it in the green, literally, since I made this color the point of reference for this collection. The evolution has also been made with even more eco-responsible materials: we do a lot of upcycling of materials not used by major brands, today we only use vegetable leather, apple or pineapple leather… So this collection is truly a call to nature.
“The theme of the circus made perfect sense”
Are your inspirations and stylistic desires ever limited by this criterion of eco-responsibility?
It’s a job that requires a lot of effort in terms of sourcing, also because we offer unisex clothing, because we only offer one size on many things. So it requires a lot of thought about the parts, the volumes, the materials… So far, it’s working. For the next collections, we always try to go a little further on the adaptability of the piece and the eco-responsible criterion.
You live between Paris, New York and Monaco… Why choose Paris to present your creations, especially during Fashion Week?
I think French fashion is maybe leaning a little more towards eco-responsibility, more than in the United States. Today, I think my clientele is more European, more French. But above all, since the covid, I am much more in Paris! But why not one day present a collection in New York, to go back to basics, where it all began (this is where she did part of her graduate studies, Ed).
This more European clientele, who is it precisely?
People were perhaps a little cautious about unisex and eco-responsible criteria. We tend to think that an eco-responsible brand is a bit plan-plan, without color and without flavor… But I think people are seeing more and more that it is possible to make luxury, beautiful pieces that we a desire to wear or to offer, while respecting the planet.
And financially, is the brand holding up well?
It’s Spring, so for now it’s holding up! Like any start-up, it’s complicated at first, especially since I wanted to be the only investor. But for the moment we are doing well.
Precisely, how did this collaboration with Printemps come about?
It happened in the middle of last year. Printemps approached us and offered to do a pop-up and it’s a format that suits us well, we had already done it in Paris and Monaco. Then came this idea of collaboration on the theme of the circus, chosen for Christmas, so it made sense. It couldn’t have been better, given my circus background!
What do you like the most under the marquee?
The theme inspires me from the Circus Festival of Monaco, with which I grew up and which I have seen every year. It’s the colors, the red that comes up every time, the shine… There’s also the representation side, which joins the world of fashion. A parade is like when we enter the runway, we present our art.
Did you proceed differently to imagine this capsule collection?
I reused cuts that I had already revealed and I used our old stocks of fabrics to respect the eco-responsible and circular side.
Do you have a particular fondness for one of your pieces?
The red satin blazer jacket, which is perfect for parties if you want to play the ringmaster of fashion.
“It’s a great pride to see my mom wearing my pieces”
Beyond the circus, what inspires you?
It’s often part of an image that I’m going to have in mind, colors. Then I draw a lot, I can do a thousand drawings to get what I want. For the more commercial side, I discuss a lot with my family, my friends, to find out what they would like to wear: “Would you put a jacket like that on? Would you wear this material? »
Besides, your mother and your sister Camille Gottlieb regularly wear your creations…
And I don’t force them! It’s a great pride to see my mom, who was an icon of the 1980s, wearing my pieces and so well. She is one of my inspirations, I have always grown up seeing her dressing room, her leather and denim jackets, which are part of my fashion culture.
My family, like my friends, are my first customers. They don’t do it just because it’s me, but because they’re classic pieces in a man’s or woman’s wardrobe: a shirt, a blazer, a trench coat… They’re well-tailored basics that are somewhat diverted with different materials, more flashy colors. But obviously, when I offer silk pants to my father, it’s not something that will speak to him!
Is there a personality you would dream of seeing in Alter?
Full ! But I’ve always been a huge Rihanna fan, so if she ever sees this interview…
UN documentary about your work as a stylist was mentioned a few months ago in the foreign press. Where is this project?
It’s in progress, it’s still in the planning stage. I can’t say much more…
Monaco’s National Day is in a few days (November 19), will we meet you on the balcony of the palace with the main family?
Yes, I will be there. It’s the only time we’re seen like that, in public all together.
Is the complicity that we perceive with your sister Camille and your brother Louis on social networks as strong in reality?
It’s the stark reality. We have a family Whatsapp group, we always talk to each other. We are all very close.
Have you ever been expected to take on a more pronounced role on the Rock, like your sister who regularly makes official outings with your uncle Prince Albert ?
I’m doing my merry way and it’s already not bad. No one is obligated to do official things. At the moment it’s not something possible for me, because I’m very busy with Alter and I can’t be everywhere. Everyone takes their place a little bit where they should take it.
The fall-winter 2022 collection and the circus-themed capsule collection will be available at Pauline Ducruet’s Alter Designs pop-up, until the end of January 2023.