It’s well known that Sézane’s founder, Morgane Sézalory, never set out to create a “brand”–in the traditional sense, anyway. The business grew organically: Sézalory’s first project was Les Composantes, a curated eBay store specializing in vintage, which eventually evolved into designing clothing inspired by her favorite pre-loved pieces. From there, Sézane’s now-recognizable visual identity was born.
“I just wanted to find a way to work and create a job that made sense for me,” she tells Vogue. “I think if I’d had more awareness and more maturity, I would have thought that it was impossible. It was very instinctive and organic, without a strategy.”
Whether intended or not, Sézalory has now built a profitable global brand, which she has recently pivoted in a “new direction”, having watched it evolve over 13 years. For several (mainly personal) reasons–the details of which she outlined in an article for Vogue Business—Sézalory spent a period of reflection to decide how she wanted Sézane to continue.
“I didn’t have time to make it the brand of my dreams–because I never thought I would create a brand–then it just happened,” she explains. “It made me slow down a bit … and ask, ‘would this brand make me excited if I wasn’t [the founder]?’”.
This shift focuses primarily on visuals, with a new logo and campaign imagery. The shoot showcases the inaugural autumn collection of the new era, featuring Imaan Hammam, styled by Alex Carl and shot by Mark Kean.
For Sézalory, Sézane has always been introspective, informed by her personal taste and dress sense. This sentiment still stands: “I wanted to make it more of who I am today.” As for how this translates into the clothes? With a sustained “love” of dressing people for their “everyday lives”, Sézalory promises to hold on to the essentials, while also striving to create pieces with more “emotions, strength and confidence”.
Voluminous shoulders, dramatic, funnel-neck collars – seen on a selection of short jackets in faux-fur, wool and leather, and on trench coats – all reflect the new direction. Tactility was another key aspect of the final designs, and there’s a variety of textures across the ready-to-wear and accessories. A generous, slouchy tote is surely destined for the same cult status as the label’s sellout basket bag.
Additionally, to pay homage to Sézane’s vintage roots, the brand will release a pre-loved offshoot–for which 10% of the global net sales will be donated to Demain, a philanthropic social impact program created by the brand, on the 21st of every month–aptly named Les Composantes. Launches of one-of-a-kind pieces, curated by Morgane or an invited guest, will be available to purchase from September.
Scroll down to see and shop highlights from Sézane’s new era.
