Hands Up: Charles de Vilmorin

TO THE LETTER

“Everything begins with a drawing, always. I can’t imagine a collection without it. I draw every day. It’s a kind of writing. Now, when I draw a silhouette, there is always an illustrative element, but these are real clothes,” says Charles de Vilmorin, who divides his time between his namesake couture label and his role as creative director at Rochas. Two seasons into the latter, he says, “I discovered a whole other world in the workshop. I talk to the model-makers so I can examine the fabrics again, cut them, modify them – all without having to deal with a finished prototype. A dialogue starts, a relationship is built. It is founded on trust. I always need to touch. I draw all the patterns, all the prints, the placements, the embroideries.”