How do you unite a set of women who all have diverse backgrounds, nationalities, and values? This is one of the questions which Gabrielle Caunesil, model and Unicef Italia NEXT Gen member, asked herself ahead of the launch of her lifestyle brand, La Semaine Paris.
The digital brand stems from a need to connect women across the globe and create an online community which will fuel an exchange of interests, passions, and differing values.
An initial drop of thirty-five garments will go live on Monday the 18th of November through a pre-order feature; however, the brand will be releasing new designs every two months.
La Semaine is made by women for women. And when I started thinking about this project, I wanted it to share some of my personal values, for example feminism,” said Caunesil. “That’s why we created a team of women who all come from different backgrounds but share the same values, one being this feminist attitude and the other the need to create something that would unite women.
Inspired by the creative director’s love for vintage icons such as Jane Birkin, Sophia Loren, Audrey Hepburn, and classic French movies such as L’effrontée and Les demoiselles de Rochefort, the garments were created to be timelessly chic yet bold pieces that all women can wear from day to night, from Monday to Sunday.
From sparkly mini dresses to tailored menswear jackets, balloon-sleeved tops and leather jackets, each garment manages to strike a balance between feminine and masculine styles and was made with a commitment to an upcycling development chain.
Yet, creating a brand which is ethical and is able to create a good quality product sold at a fair price isn’t easy. Thus, this is why Caunesil decided to turn La Semaine into a non-seasonal digitally native brand and release the garments through the use of a “drop” system, therefore shedding many unnecessary steps which are often part of the process.
It is indeed this all-around digital aspect which makes the brand and its vision unique. In the end, although La Semaine will begin its life as a fashion brand, the idea behind it is to create a lifestyle, a full experience cherished by many.
“La Semaine isn’t just a fashion brand, although we are using clothing as a way to bring women together,” said Caunesil. “Yet, who knows? We started with clothing, but in the future maybe we’ll venture new realms. For now, the important thing to me is creating a universe for women, making them feel confident and beautiful.”
