Manuelle Guibal likes to feel secure in her Parisian cocoon that is at once her home, design studio and artist’s workshop. Here she instinctively mixes her fashion creations and sculptures with her life with her family and friends. In this simple, cheerful and poetic atmosphere, iPads and iPhones are nonchalantly placed alongside vintage objects discovered in flea markets and enveloped by the fragrance of vetiver, Manuelle Guibal invites us to serenly sip ginger tea. Her expansive, well-lit space is a potpourri of sensations. We might overhear Japanese being spoken, might feel as though we’re traveling the world through her collection of images or we might dream of escaping to wild sandy beaches with their swaying coconut trees… But don’t be fooled, Manuelle Guibal’s world is also a bustling beehive of research and activity!
Brand concept
For Manuelle Guibal clothing is a lifestyle that she wants to share with other women. Since she believes clothes are a reflection of ourselves and play the role of both clothing and shelter, Manuelle Guibal’s creations are simple, enveloping and protective. They may accompany gestures, define graceful movements or help reveal their wearer’s personality. Her pared-down, contemporary clothes play with fashions evolutions while focusing on longevity, balance and freedom. Freedom to put pieces together at a whim, freedom to move and freedom – simply – to be oneself. A key value to the success of this made-in-France brand.
Materials
Her summer materials – linen, cotton, ramie, silk – and those she uses for winter – wool, alpaca, angora, cashmere, mohair, silk, yak – are amazingly sensual and lend themselves to multiple transformations. Manuelle Guibal’s fabrics can be dyed, overdyed, boiled, felted, coated, printed, frayed, lacerated, washed out and intentionally faded or distressed. Her summer collections are garment-dyed which gives them a vibrant colour palette that makes the fabrics come alive.
Shapes
Manuelle Guibal designs easy, simple and basic shapes. Her clothes are comfortable and timeless. Often in oversized cuts, they can be layered or wrapped around the body to envelop it. Minimal and without seams or else with visible seams, each piece is conceived with care that we can sense though not necessarily see: the cut is precise, the drape impeccable and each garment is as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside. These protective, comfortable clothes define a pared-down silhouette and often hide tiny surprises or poetic details: they may be slit, folded, twisted, turned up or diverted from their original use…
The ABCs of Manuelle Guibal
A for amorous. B for Bach. C for cerebral, coup de coeur, composition, creativity and copybook. D for doubt and discretion (the opposite of tawdry logos and flashy luxury). E for equal, engagement and écriture, which is french for writing. Manuelle Guibal is constantly writing and sketching in her tiny notebook. F for femme, a woman full of fun, fluidity… and above all fidelity. Then G for generosity and gourmandise. H for honesty and humanity. I for imagination, implication and integrity. J means to jump for joy, then a capital L for Liberty and a small L for list since there are so many things to do and never enough time in the day! This ABC recitation must include P for Paris, of course, and S for Sensitivity, sagacity and spontaneity. In fact, S sums up Manuelle Guibal’s singular personality. And we can’t forget T for time, a role as important as a need for tenderness… This résumé of the designer in her favourite words expresses the values that have been important to her for over twenty years.
Made in France
Since 1991 Manuelle Guibal has designed under her own name. She begins each collection of wovens and knits with research on materials and shapes. She designs in Paris but imports the most beautiful, raw materials from Italy, China and India. After doing numerous trials and making endless samples to perfect her weaves, knits, treatments and finishes, she sends her prototypes to be manufactured. Her cashmere knits are made in China but everything else is produced by French craftsmen. Manuelle Guibal selects her manufacturers for their know-how, dedication to their craft and humanity.
Know-how
Manuelle Guibal loves working by hand, the small asperities in her fabrics give each garment a unique richness. She appreciates the irregularities of horn and mother-of-pearl, the humbleness of string or the shine of sequins… But since she detests the stilted crispness of new clothes, she imbues each garment and collection with the patina of time. Her creations, a far cry from the standards imposed by globalization, are full of emotion, softness and history. These added values correspond with today’s definition of true luxury!
