Meeting with French-speaking designer Sarah Bounab

Even before seeing them, we can hear the arrival of Sarah Bounab’s creations thanks to the metallic clicking sounds, like sonic sparkles, which accompany the steps of those who wear them. Leather and metal are his signature. These raw materials, difficult to tame, give shape to his creations imbued with a singular poetry. His passion for fashion dates back to his childhood, influenced by his grandfather, a professional tailor. “He passed on to me the love of his work. Always passionate, his work was his whole life. He taught me to dream, to draw, to laugh. During the summer, I accompanied him to Spain where crafts and games punctuated our days, without ever getting bored.” Despite her desire to start training in fashion, she began studying philosophy and psychology, under pressure to join a sector with better opportunities. But it was following her diploma work, a collection for Barbie, for which she obtained the best mark, that she had the click and decided to join HEAD in Geneva, her favorite school. She left with a bachelor’s and a master’s degree.

Determined and addicted to work, the French-speaking designer is full of energy. In 2020, her final master’s collection “All They Could See Was My Digital Queen” focused on cyberculture and digital identities, won two prizes, the Master Firmenich as well as the HEAD x Who’s Next, at the end of the fashion show. school. Enough to give him the necessary momentum to launch his eponymous brand. During the last edition of Mode Suisse in Zurich in September, the unmissable fashion event in Switzerland, Sarah’s silhouettes paraded for the third time. A daring collection praised by the public confirms his talent. She confides, “until now, my collections seemed to only convey intentions. There, everything is very clear, I have defined the main axes of my work: to concentrate on the evening wardrobe by modernizing it and making it more technological, while promoting recycled materials. By closely observing his creations, you can see the meticulous work behind each piece. The leather, scraps from the leather goods industry, recovered in Switzerland and France, is reworked and assembled piece by piece to create volume, just like the aluminum parts. She describes herself as “crazy about patronage”.

AI as an assistant

Beyond his meticulous craftsmanship of the material, his creative process stands out. Inspired by cyberculture, starting from a story or a random image, she exploits computer bugs, kinds of accidents which will help her generate designs.

I discuss the collection, create associations of ideas, take out keywords, make visuals, which I transform into a collage and so on. This is the idea of ​​the exquisite corpse. In a way, it’s as if I’m having a dialogue with myself.” These technological advances excite him, like a fantasy come true. “Artificial intelligence, used well, supports creation without replacing it. It can even help to find solutions, for example by simulating a piece of clothing in motion, and thus devote more time to what is essential.” She also works with programmers to create an algorithm dedicated to her brand.

Hardworking and ambitious

From her workshop, within a collaborative factory in Geneva, Sarah concentrates her clothing and jewelry brand, while working on several projects. She works occasionally as a stylist for the special magazine Bilan Luxe, directs the costume for a medium-length film and multiplies the mandates. To enrich its e-shop, it is developing a range of ready-to-wear, more accessible and more mainstream, because “we don’t necessarily want to wear leather every day.” At the end of the year, she will launch a line of crochet clothing and aluminum pieces as well as accessories. Next spring, a sunglasses collaboration with the Viu brand will be launched. Without forgetting its Sarah Bounab perfume, developed with the Firmenich teams, as part of its prize, one of its bestsellers. “Developing a perfume from the beginning was an opportunity, unlike other brands which only succeed once they are established.”

At 34, a busy schedule awaits the designer. “Now is the time that I have to invest my all in if I want to succeed. My goal is to expand internationally and sell my collections in at least 27 countries! A nod to my grandfather who created patronage systems across the world, specifically in 26 countries.” That’s all we wish for him.

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