Anne-Sophie Cochevelou

How was it like to launch your own label?

It was a big adventure to launch my own label, sometimes it’s hard and stressful because i don’t only design and make the pieces, I ship the orders and do all the other work around as well! It’s great to know I’m doing something unique and that people appreciate the beauty of it! I have a lot of supportive people around me; from my friends, clients to my fans, and that’s what constantly gives me the energy, motivation and inspiration to keep working.

How did you come up with the idea of using toys to design accessories?

My creations are always linked to my childhood, so I started creating using the toys from my childhood bedroom, that was within reach. The creative process allows me to express the child within me.

A lot of people recognize and can relate to the Lego or Barbie pieces as they are familiar with them from their childhood.

Sometimes peoples say “Oh look a dead Barbie” but to me they are not dead, I gave them a new life and use of turning them into wearable pieces of art.

Where do you get all the toys from, in order to produce your collections?

I spend my Sunday mornings at the flee markets, car boot sales and charity shops looking for toys or other interesting materials I could use for my collections. Sometimes people bring their unwanted things to my atelier saying I’m the creative one, so hopefully I can create something new with it. For them it’s a relief, but for me it’s a blessing!

Like my friend Sue Kreitzman said "Half my time is spent obsessively trawling for junk, and the other half, obsessively putting it all together.”

What about your couture dress that you have designed?

I’ve been working on developing the concept or wearable art pieces, where I combine fashion, art and at the same time use the things around me. The couture pieces are often very time consuming. I spent 350 hours on the Lego dress gluing 5000 pieces of Lego one by one! Right now I am hand stitching thousands of pearls on to lace for a lobster costume! When you do couture you often loose the perception of time but the results are breathtaking and that’s what makes me want to design even more pieces!

You’re from Paris but your style is not the classic french style, If you had to describe your style with only 3 words what would they be?

Colorful, playful, theatrical

Do you have any rules that you live by?

The first one is to follow your passion, your drive and your instinct. The second one is to work hard in order to achieve it! I’m happy to live the life I choose even if I had to fight for it, but I know and fell I’m exactly where I should be!

What has been the most exciting milestone for you so far?

The Lego dress was spotted during the fashion week and later featured in Vogue 2013, that pretty much launched the whole thing! I was recently signed by Isabelle Gounod Gallery in Paris and I’ve also been working on a documentary for the French TV that will air at the end of April!\

Are you planing to expand, and design more wearable pieces using toys/toy pieces?

As ideas feed each other and I love what I’m doing I’m sure i will experiment with other kinds of toys for my designs and create more wearable pieces! One of the projects I’m working on right now is a Star Wars dress for the release of the movie. I also have an interesting commissioned piece where I’m linking plastic dog toys and doll parts, pretty much everything a woman loves! Above all I like to create narrative garments that tell a story.

Photos: Anthony Lycett