Julie de Libran x ERES

This season, Julie de Libran started a collaboration with Eres known for its excellence in pattern making, for its cuts, perfection in finishings, details which signs their savoir-faire. Eres has always created shapes that sublimes the natural forms of all women and their body. She has made a selection of their lace leavers and designed with the studio shapes with precise lines to create a unique silhouette. A result of brassieres, leggings, body suits and nightgowns that are meant for day time.

Q & A Julie de Libran - Marie-Paule Minchelli (Director of the ERES studio)

What experience do you have with collaborations?

Julie: This is my very first collaboration with my own brand, Julie de Libran. It’s all totally new, I’m very excited about it, and proud of what we’ve achieved.

Marie-Paule Minchelli: ERES has collaborated a few times in the past. Each project is chosen carefully and each party’s approach to style and fashion is taken into consideration.

How did you approach this collaboration? How does it differ to others you have undertaken?

Julie: An ethical stance and a contemporary approach. Only fabrics from our archives are used, to give our exceptional materials a second life.

Marie-Paule Minchelli: Our laces are all exclusive and the patterns designed in our Parisian workshops, so it was important for us to provide them with another opportunity to shine through Julie’s creations. The approach is actually very innovative, because it is highly exclusive, personal and ethical. Each piece can be sold separately, but we really do recommend opting for the full look. Each element, including the ERES pieces, is numbered. The series is extremely limited. There are a maximum of 100 items available, and only twenty for some pieces.

Where are these pieces available? In all countries?

Julie: The pieces were presented during my Paris showroom event from 26 to 30 January 2021. For people who cannot visit in person, we are going to present the pieces using Zoom. The collection can then be sold all over the world. Especially on platforms like Matches Fashion, where the first pieces were very popular!

How did the idea for this collaboration come about?

Julie: Due to what’s happening in the world at the moment, I really wanted to surround myself with the very best Parisian expertise this season. I felt a need for the grounding of typically French savoir-faire. A need to get back to what is truly essential.

What does ERES lingerie represent for you? What does it bring to your creations?

Julie: I have always worn ERES. I can’t even remember my first piece. I grew up with ERES. My mother and grandmother had pieces in their wardrobe, and they both had a real eye for detail and an innate sense for fashion. As French women living abroad, we had a special relationship with French know-how. I can’t even count the number of ERES swimsuits and lingerie sets in my wardrobe now, my collection goes back years. They are timeless. ERES is really about quality. Out of 18 looks, 15 are embellished with lace and/or are ERES pieces! We really created the line as a team.

What was the “creative” starting point for the looks in this collaboration? How did you make the stylistic choices?

Julie: The basic principle was really to provide a complete overall look for a contemporary woman. And that’s why the idea of bringing in unique pieces of ERES lingerie came to me incredibly easily. I have always been drawn to ERES lingerie because it combines stylish beauty and technical prowess, which is rare. I started out by contacting Marie-Paule because I wanted some lace pieces for my looks, and the collaboration just blossomed from there.

Marie-Paule Minchelli: At first we didn’t have any sketches, we worked together to chose the lace that we thought would do justice to Julie’s designs. After the laces had been chosen, Julie began the first sketches. It was amazing to see how my lingerie pieces became items of couture. For example, there were no hooks on the backs of the crop tops, no elastic on the waistline of the leggings. These details are skilfully worked into corsetry, but ultimately cannot exist in couture. Modelling was also a real issue, we usually work on real people, in this case we had to work using Julie’s designs. For example, our bodysuit has a large “V” at the back which fits perfectly under one of Julie’s dresses.

If you had to choose just one look, which would it be?

Marie-Paule Minchelli: I love all the pieces but I think I really fell in love with the lace crop-top bra. It has a very couture character that I really like.

Julie: I would say the lace leggings. I think they’re a strong and very on-trend piece. We work well as a team! I also really like the dress with the ERES lace frills; I think the combination of different styles of lace looks fascinating, really beautiful.