Violette des Roseaux doesn’t believe in uniqueness

Roseaux is smarter than to bank on blind chance. For her final collection, too, she evolved her approach around actionable skills first, instead of conceptual credit. The designer took Daphne’s metamorphosis into a laurel tree as the inspiration for her final collection, Nymphea. In earnest, the idea was an excuse. “When I started my master’s, I knew it was the last moment I would have this piece of mind and time to create without other pressure,” Roseaux explains. “I had a list of things I wanted to try and explore. The concept of metamorphosis enabled me to dive into and simultaneously justify anything and everything.”

The Parisian designer has always had an affinity for integrating fine arts elements into her designs. Thus, it comes to no surprise that a painting created while doing internships before her master’s studies became the initial starting point and telling theme of her final collection. “When I did my gap year, I felt creatively frustrated, so I turned to painting. Now, it has become a practice to create my moodboards.” It also allows for creating an aesthetic that doesn’t rely on fashion, a method defining Roseaux’s creative process. “My research is very eclectic. I usually look more into object design. Then I research fashion broadly and take whatever connects.” Although her approach of rejecting possibilities until two ideas connect might sound random, it is a strong strategy. After all, the exclusion principle is a key formula for problem-solving: the very nature of every creative task.

“You cannot prove everything with one project. That perspective would have made a lot of projects less stressful for me.” – Violette des Roseaux

Still, looking back, Violette des Roseaux would advise her younger self to get into more research. Because, like many others, she believed she knew what she wanted and wished to express. Today, the designer knows better: one’s creative language is a never-ending quest and ever-evolving idea, fuelled and formed by every new perspective and piece of information. “Don’t think the product you’re making now is the end goal. It’s just a step to discover what you actually want to build.” She stresses: “You cannot prove everything with one project. That perspective would have made a lot of projects less stressful for me.”

“I don’t believe in uniqueness and talent. Unless you have your own brand, it’s just hard work.” – Violette des Roseaux

Maybe having internships at Hermès and Rabanne under her belt allows the designer to perceive her passion under such a refreshingly realistic lens. “I don’t believe in uniqueness and talent. Unless you have your own brand, it’s just hard work,” she states. Entering the industry can be a harsh reality check, especially from an art school. “As creatives, we were trained to be assertive, to create concepts and portfolios. But then you must work for something you may not like or understand and enter a hierarchy that’s indifferent to your talent. So the hard part is turning your passion into your job.”

“It’s healthy to keep a personal practice beside the job. For me, it mustn’t have anything to do with fashion.” – Violette des Roseaux

Despite the creative freedom a school offers, Roseaux feels the work environment she’s currently in is safer, mostly because she is not in a position to carry responsibility or make decisions. In a way, she describes, it is less intense. “It’s a good rest where I don’t have to think too much.” Undeniably, however, a lack of stimuli to a creative mind is like being stuck in a desert without water. The seemingly safe environment becomes a passion-draining force, turning tranquillity into apathy. “It’s healthy to keep a personal practice beside the job. For me, it mustn’t have anything to do with fashion. That’s when painting comes into the picture; it takes my mind off things.”

Fashion is a people’s business. Roseaux’s mother used to tell her that at work, she would meet people she’d never spent time with in her personal life. Maybe the second skill one needs when transitioning into the professional world is simply getting along with people. Either way, the young designer lives by her mother’s mantra. “The internship I am doing at Courrèges now, I didn’t really choose. I’m not in a position to choose yet. But I will be a few years down in my career when I’ve had my first job and gained some experience. The people here are super friendly, and for now, that’s my standard.”

From an outside perspective, Violette des Roseaux sets herself apart through talent and mindset. A charismatic combination mixed with a refreshing grounded-ness. “I look forward to being a junior to see what exactly the job that I’ll be in for a long time is,” she says. Until then, finding a placement after the internship is her biggest and only ambition. So, when asked if there’s something she likes to add, her answer is as charming and compelling as it gets: “Hire me! I need a job. Reach out.”