It all started with a stay in England, to improve his level of English. While a student, Camille Mazouaud discovered punks and their…anti-conformist style. The sacred fire of fashion then begins to burn within her. Originally from Périgueux, she started a course in Bordeaux and finished it in Paris. With her diploma in hand, Camille began working at the haute couture house Courrèges as a model maker, achieving the feat of transforming the designers’ sketches into reality.
“Very quickly, I wanted new horizons,” confides the young woman. She will pass through the workshops of Schiaparelli, Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent, Jean-Paul Gaultier… But while she works under the leadership of Pharrell Williams, new creative director for the Men’s department of Louis Vuitton, Camille becomes Mom.
First love
She naturally questions the kind of life she wants to offer her young son. A Parisian life at 100 miles an hour, full of travel, stress and deadlines? The young woman thinks back to her native Dordogne and chooses to go back to Périgueux. Without leaving her first love, haute couture, behind her.
No more “250 to 300 hours of work per month” at the dawn of the fashion show presenting a new collection
She will therefore open a wedding dress boutique, L’Atelier n°20, rue Eguillerie, in the city center. “It’s the closest I get to haute couture,” explains Camille. Custom-made, original creations… But this time, there’s no chef to “slap her on the wrist”, she’s her own boss. No more “250 to 300 hours of work per month” at the dawn of the fashion show presenting a new collection. “I no longer neglect myself as a human being. I am rediscovering the quality of life that the province offers,” continues the seamstress.
“A woman to sublimate”
Above all, she wants to dust off the image of the wedding dress. “We can do lots of ultra-modern and ultra-couture things. Suits, jumpsuits and, at the same time, reuse them! Because in fashion, we must not hide it, we are big polluters and wasteful in terms of fabrics…”
“We can do lots of ultra-modern and ultra-couture things. Suits, jumpsuits, and at the same time, reuse them! » believes the young designer.
C. S.
Above all: don’t be afraid of the word tailor-made. “We all have an arm, a leg or even a breast that is smaller than the other,” assures Camille. Who follows the credo of a visionary for the house in which she was able to work: ““At the bottom of every heart lies a dream, and the couturier knows it: every woman is a princess,” said Dior. And I see each of my clients as a woman to be sublimated! »
Each dress creation remains a challenge for Camille. Who is delighted that white remains the bride’s flagship color. A shade that is “super pleasant to work with because everything is visible, the slightest error”. A remark that may seem counterintuitive. Except when you’ve spent your life thriving through adversity to achieve perfection.
Practical. L’Atelier n°20, located at 20 rue Eguillerie in Périgueux. Open Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Contact on 06 67 74 14 32.
