I was born and raised in Paris, I lived in Montreal for 4 years and then I moved back to Paris 5 years ago. After 12 years of being a professional ballet dancer at Paris Opera ballet school, I stopped to do fashion. I worked for Jean Paul Gaultier and Nina Ricci before launching Vaillant in 2020. Vaillant is a Paris based womenswear brand.

The Vaillant wardrobe is for every woman who wants to feel comfortable and sensual, but also wants to express a certain form of freedom in the way that they dress. Comfort and structure are really important for me when I create a piece. The Vaillant woman is strong but also sensitive. It consists of a hybrid wardrobe which provides for day and night.

Before Montreal, I also was a dancer at Paris Opera Ballet. I think it was always in the back of my mind. When I was young, I was always keeping drawing books full of clothes and cutting into my own pieces. It sounds a bit cliché, but it has always been a part of who I am. When we dance, we interpret the vision of the choreographer in our movements. Eventually, the time came for me to try and show my own vision. Also, it was the very act of being around the costumes and the Atelier of the Paris Opera ballet that developed my interest in the finer details of fashion.

It was the best way to learn. I’ve always been a fan of Jean Paul Gaultier, it was a real dream come true when I started there. It helped me to understand the rigour of haute couture and the knowledge behind the fabrics. It was precise manual work but with complete creative freedom that I found really inspiring. It nourished me artistically and culturally. I was also lucky enough to work alongside Lisi Herrebrugh and Rushemy Botter during their first season at Nina Ricci. It was interesting to assist them at the start of their journey there and to see how they had their own artistic direction while respecting the codes and values of the house. They really inspired me to think about the running of a business and the organisation behind a luxury house.

I always start my collection with a concept, an obsession and then I move it into 3D. It’s a way for me to translate my work.Pacha plays with transparency and superposition. The work around the fabric is really important at Vaillant, we explore a lot of fabric transformations in our studio. The savoir-faire that we develop in house is also one of the key elements of our brand.

Naturally, I am very inspired by these women. Catherine Deneuve in Belle de jour was a particular revelation, as well. But how can you not admire them? They epitomise class and elegance à la française, or at least as it is perceived.
But I am not nostalgic of the past. I think that the 21st century has given us so many powerful women, because of their art, their commitment to the battles they fight and not only because they have been elevated to the status of icon. Today, women are far more than the neat and polished allure that was once imposed on them. The woman-child, femme fatale, etc. all of that is outdated in my opinion. Among the women who inspire me – the list would be long but what they’d all have in common is what they embody; women that are the moment, that represent our era, who aren’t afraid to shake things up, who are unapologetic! The women who inspire me are the ones pushing the boundaries. This is the Vaillant spirit.

My work and my vision evolve constantly throughout the collections, it’s capital for me to bring newness to my work. For this collection, it was important to have a complete wardrobe with pieces that we can be worn in daily life but can also evolve with time and age.

For us, it’s natural and important to find sustainable solutions for our garments. It’s not necessarily my way to create but it goes with it automatically. I think it’s necessary nowadays to work like this, especially in France, where we have access to such beautiful savoir-faire, such as the Calais lace that I use in my collections.
As a young brand, it’s always hard to deal with sustainability because the minimum orders for green fabrics are usually way too big for us. The more we develop, the easier it will be for young brands like ours to find solutions and open more doors.

I find the union of two people beautiful. I’m obviously open to it, but we’re not at this stage yet. However, there will be a lot of new things happening in the next couple of months!

The most important thing for me is not get stuck with one vision, but to have multiple inspirations that evolve with my desire throughout the seasons. Pacha was definitely more inspired by the 70’s, but more than ever I want my brand to be inspired by today for the women of our era.

All my collections have a common point, they all start either from a memory or a desire. For this collection, I wanted more lightness. I got inspired by my travels and what I wanted to pack in my luggage this summer. Pacha is also about dance, but also movement – the freedom you have when you’re dancing ’til dawn.