Paule Josephe - Born Out of A Mutual Love
“P.J. was born out of a mutual love for each other’s work and aesthetics. Actually, it was not our intention to start a clothing brand.”
Subtlety is hard to achieve. It can easily go under-appreciated and overlooked. It rests in the details just waiting to be observed, yet risking every possibility of going completely unnoticed, imperceptible to the untrained eye. The beauty about subtlety is the weight it carries. Light on the surface, but deep and rich in meaning. Paule and Josephe are masters in subtlety - their careful focus on aesthetic, their conscious pause toward sustainability, and their attentiveness to their surroundings. If you look close enough, you can see it.
Who makes up the team at Paule Josephe?
Hannah Vanspauwen & Tiny Geeroms
How was Paule Josephe born and where did the name originate?
P.J. was born out of a mutual love for each other’s work and aesthetics. Actually, it was not our intention to start a clothing brand. We didn’t want to create more in an already over-consuming environment. But seeing this abundance of clothing, we also saw the potential of making these clothes valuable and wanted again by remaking them completely. Giving it a new purpose. That's why we decided to only work with leftover and second-hand fabrics. With that idea in mind, we suddenly could see a clothing brand that did fit with our values. Paule Josephe is the second and third name of Hannah's mother. We chose the name, because we liked the concept of two male names in a female form.
The combination of fashion, food, and places resembles much of the things that we root in our everyday lives, creating an instant connection - what drove this direction for your brand?
Everything is hand-made in our atelier at the countryside near Brussels. We feel very much connected to the place we’re working from, surrounded by nature (fields and forests) and get inspired by the colors and textures we see around us on a daily basis. It feels very natural for us to mix all these things. We can't separate them from each other, because we see it in the same realm of life.
How do you define the style of your clothing? We’re getting prairie vibes from the loose blouses and embroidered motifs featuring buffalo and flowers.
We like to see our clothing as timeless garments, but not in the meaning of basics. We see timeless clothing as garments that last beyond trends. This way we hope our collection can escape the fast-paced fashion industry. In our designs we try to strike a balance between sensitivity and toughness.
Where do you draw a line between concept and practicality in your clothing? Would you refer to your clothing as everyday wear?
We definitely see our clothing as everyday wear. We like to create delicate looking pieces, yet comfortable and practical. We wear it ourselves on many different occasions.
“We get a lot of inspiration from the books we read, the movies we watch, the people we meet and the conversations we have with them.”
Your brand talks about creating “cycles” or collections of garments regardless of traditional fashion “seasons” and allowing creativity to be born naturally. How does taking this approach change your perception of fashion in the traditional sense?
The word fashion has already a temporality in its meanings. We would like to see fashion more as a steadfast medium. We think that would be a start to reduce the overconsumption we see nowadays.
What's your creative process when working with other clients and creatives? Do you reserve a specific style or process for your own work with Paule Josephe?
If we work together with other people, we first try to discover mutual ideas. It's important to understand each other’s vision before starting a project. Every collaboration has a different outcome, which can be inspiring. So no, we don’t reserve a specific style for our own work with P.J.
NAME Some SONGS YOU'RE LISTENING TO AT THE MOMENT.
What sources of inspiration offer the most creative ideas?
We get a lot of inspiration from the books we read, the movies we watch, the people we meet and the conversations we have with them. Dreams, paintings, music, nature, surrounding colors, energies from our friends… There is so much that inspires us. The most important thing is staying awake to have the ability to breathe it all in.
Which pieces are your favorite that you've created thus far?
Our favorite pieces change constantly. They become our favorites when we see a connection happening between the garment and the person who wears it.
