Love-struck LOU: Bohemian chic meets haute couture
Lou Lingerie has an illustrious history and an ultra-hip uber-French persona that attracts some of the most cutting-edge designers working today. We recently checked in on Lou to find out what inspires the artistic genius behind this historic brand.
Lingerie Francaise: Lou is one of the most exuberantly colorful lingerie brands in the world. Who is responsible for your incredible color palate?
LOU: Our design team is responsible for the LOU color palette. Our Style Director is inspired by top fashion trends that she re- interprets in the spirit of lingerie. The diverse needs of women also inspires us, as well as our own particular desires. Take the 2015 Spring/summer collection, for example: we were love-struck by tattoo-inspired acid yellow of our Oxygen line and phlorescent touch in our Folie Douce line. For next season, our design team wanted to evoke the spirit of haute couture around the color indigo blue (blue being the color icon LOU) and winter coral ... but I’ll say no more !
LF: This spring/summer collection is inspired by the bohemian chic of India and all things Zen and playful. Can you tell us more about your designers: what inspires them? Who is behind the cheeky sensuality and the avant-garde sensibility that has characterized Lou for decades?
LOU: The design team captures the zeitgeist and draws inspiration from art expos, major fashion trends, what’s perceived on the streets of Paris, and while traveling around the world meeting people from different cultures. The exchanges with suppliers of our beautiful embroidered lace and tulle are also very inspiring. Our team draws or selects a particular lace material that can call for a particular color, like that little neon touch in our Folie Douce line, that represents a flower inspired by an Indian sari.
LF: Lou is also known for its roster of incredible photographers. What do you look for in a photographer ?
LOU: Over the seasons, we look for fashion photographers whose design sensibilities might perfectly illustrate and bring to life the history of our collections.
LF: How would you describe the "Lou" woman?
LOU: The Lou woman is in each one of us : sometimes soft, feminine, and fashionable, sometimes self-possessed or even a seductress. She is ageless! She might be between 25 and 75 years old in chronological years, but be 20 or 80 years in old in her head. She might want fantasy or comfort, but in either case, she’s always chic and has a certain refined savoir-faire. Whether she’s active or not, she loves novelty and new creations. Because she’s interested in fashion, she’s usually on the cutting edge. She’s also an epicurean who loves nice things and freshness, but always has style. Like LOU itself, she evokes femininity and respects high style and haute couture.
LF: Lou has a very romantic history: your founder Andre Faller met his wife Lucienne on the Orient Express. Could you tell us a bit more about Andre Faller: was he already in the lingerie business at the time he met Lucienne? Why were they both on the Orient Express?
LOU : That beautiful story began in 1946, when Lucienne and Andre Faller Scheltien met by chance in one of the most mythical places: the Orient Express ! Lucienne - nicknamed " Lou " (the diminutive "Lu" in the US ) was gym teacher who, since she was 16 years-old had a secret passion for designing and sewing her own lingerie for her personal comfort. Lucienne created the brand LOU in a small workshop at home. Everything took off in the 1950s thanks to Andre. At that time, Lucienne and Andre weren’t married, but they were already very close. That's why André played a major role in the management and investment of the LOU brand and all the products made by his future wife.
LF: What do you think is the most significant difference between French women and American women when it comes to lingerie? If you could say one thing to American women about French lingerie, what would it be?
LOU : The American woman often looks for exceptional savoir-faire and the refinement associated with high quality materials that have a touch of “French” femininity. French women often follow their passions and fall in love with a certain type of lingerie!
Lingerie Francaise: Lou is one of the most exuberantly colorful lingerie brands in the world. Who is responsible for your incredible color palate?
LOU: Our design team is responsible for the LOU color palette. Our Style Director is inspired by top fashion trends that she re- interprets in the spirit of lingerie. The diverse needs of women also inspires us, as well as our own particular desires. Take the 2015 Spring/summer collection, for example: we were love-struck by tattoo-inspired acid yellow of our Oxygen line and phlorescent touch in our Folie Douce line. For next season, our design team wanted to evoke the spirit of haute couture around the color indigo blue (blue being the color icon LOU) and winter coral ... but I’ll say no more !
LF: This spring/summer collection is inspired by the bohemian chic of India and all things Zen and playful. Can you tell us more about your designers: what inspires them? Who is behind the cheeky sensuality and the avant-garde sensibility that has characterized Lou for decades?
LOU: The design team captures the zeitgeist and draws inspiration from art expos, major fashion trends, what’s perceived on the streets of Paris, and while traveling around the world meeting people from different cultures. The exchanges with suppliers of our beautiful embroidered lace and tulle are also very inspiring. Our team draws or selects a particular lace material that can call for a particular color, like that little neon touch in our Folie Douce line, that represents a flower inspired by an Indian sari.
LF: Lou is also known for its roster of incredible photographers. What do you look for in a photographer ?
LOU: Over the seasons, we look for fashion photographers whose design sensibilities might perfectly illustrate and bring to life the history of our collections.
LF: How would you describe the "Lou" woman?
LOU: The Lou woman is in each one of us : sometimes soft, feminine, and fashionable, sometimes self-possessed or even a seductress. She is ageless! She might be between 25 and 75 years old in chronological years, but be 20 or 80 years in old in her head. She might want fantasy or comfort, but in either case, she’s always chic and has a certain refined savoir-faire. Whether she’s active or not, she loves novelty and new creations. Because she’s interested in fashion, she’s usually on the cutting edge. She’s also an epicurean who loves nice things and freshness, but always has style. Like LOU itself, she evokes femininity and respects high style and haute couture.
LF: Lou has a very romantic history: your founder Andre Faller met his wife Lucienne on the Orient Express. Could you tell us a bit more about Andre Faller: was he already in the lingerie business at the time he met Lucienne? Why were they both on the Orient Express?
LOU : That beautiful story began in 1946, when Lucienne and Andre Faller Scheltien met by chance in one of the most mythical places: the Orient Express ! Lucienne - nicknamed " Lou " (the diminutive "Lu" in the US ) was gym teacher who, since she was 16 years-old had a secret passion for designing and sewing her own lingerie for her personal comfort. Lucienne created the brand LOU in a small workshop at home. Everything took off in the 1950s thanks to Andre. At that time, Lucienne and Andre weren’t married, but they were already very close. That's why André played a major role in the management and investment of the LOU brand and all the products made by his future wife.
LF: What do you think is the most significant difference between French women and American women when it comes to lingerie? If you could say one thing to American women about French lingerie, what would it be?
LOU : The American woman often looks for exceptional savoir-faire and the refinement associated with high quality materials that have a touch of “French” femininity. French women often follow their passions and fall in love with a certain type of lingerie!
August 19, 2015
