Faou Soulé celebrates, through Esthet’s collections, alternative urban culture from the African continent and its diaspora. Its ready-to-wear brand is responsible, inclusive, creative, far from what is already present on the market. For the founder of Esthet, the fashion offer should not be reduced to always offering the same silhouette.
According to this lover of handmade style and culture, it is essential to highlight our uniqueness. Her clothes are made between Italy, Portugal and Benin in pre-order but also in very limited series.
I think when we imagine something and it becomes concrete that people take ownership of it, it’s wonderful.
Faou Soulé, founder and artistic director of the ready-to-wear brand Esthet
“ I kept the name Esthet because there is the notion of being an esthete, of liking the fine, the beautiful, the pleasures of life and then it’s an acronym. The acronym, I defined it: Essentially Styled with our Talented co-creators and Hyped by an Experiential Takeoff. We have the idea of going back to basics, the style of co-creation, working with a collective of co-creators and above all the idea of experience. When you discover Esthet, you discover more than pieces, you enter a creative universe, a brand universe. »
Faou Soulé was born and raised in Benin. Subsequently, she came to Lille to continue her higher education. She worked as a consultant for several years but, in 2016, she initiated a reflection on the place of African culture in the creative sphere and in 2021, she launched her ready-to-wear brand Esthet. It combines entrepreneurship and creativity. The search for African artistic collaboration or from the diaspora determines the content of its collections. Through these, Faou Soulé offers a creative way of lifeavant-garde in connection with Africa.
“ I am amazed, impressed, inspired by the creativity there is in Africa. I have the chance to go there often. I returned to partially live in Cotonou. I go back and forth between Cotonou and Paris; it’s incredible, there is real creativity among young people. It is in turmoil. There is an emergence, but it is not emphasized enough. Not well enough known. What interests me above all is to work with an avant-garde scene, with an alternative, independent approach that uses its art and its African heritage to convey its messages. I am lucky to be part of this environment. The first collaborations are friends. Then it will be by discovering other artists. It’s out of curiosity, exploring magazines, being curious. »
Faou Soulé for Esthet has chosen a hybrid production model, made to order and/or in limited series.
“We’re going to have pieces that are going to be pre-ordered first and then go into stock; we’re going to have parts that go directly into stock depending on the complexity, in terms of production, of the history of the part. I think there are pieces today that don’t need to go on pre-order because they’re easier to produce, but still in fairly small quantities. The idea is to have a year-round collection and for the pieces to be more or less permanent. Pieces that can be worn whatever the season. »
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