‘Demeure’ is a French word which connotes anything to do with the home. When viewing Charlotte Cazal’s label of the same name; it is obvious to see the correlation. The University of Toulouse graduate presents a collection both refined and classically French. They are pieces you’d expect to find in the forgotten wardrobes of Simone Signoret or Annie Girardot; updated for the current age. Not only are they inherently French in design, but also in construction. Produced in the Nord department; the garments are made entirely from natural fabrics sourced from France.
The ‘Elegance of ruins’ collection is a creative collaboration. Personally involved in several artistic practices herself, Cazal is preoccupied with the notion of “fashion in favour of art.” For her current line, she has worked with Dutch artist Rik Smits. His graphite drawings, depicting city skylines, are symbolically rich: concerned with “nostalgia, past and future” much alike Cazal. Presented in a monochromatic palette; Smit’s artwork decorates Caval’s wide-legged trousers and round-necked cut-out dresses. The collection is traditionally French in regards to glamour and style, but as Cazal said herself, still presents “a vision very contemporary.”