A STITCH IN TIME: CHARLIE FARON ON ENCRÉ
Brainchild of Charlie Faron, Encré is crafting a new embroidered breed of design inspired by tattooing.
On a lazy Sunday afternoon, the queues outside the Paris pop-up of Encré make you wonder whether it is actually a vaccination station, winding around the corners in the 3ème arrondissement. But sustainable fashion brand Encré has a rather cult following, with their current project ‘Calendrier du Confinement’ (Lockdown Calendar) selling out daily. Up next, they’ve been working on a series of innovative projects, ready to shake up the fashion world doing just the kind of work we need to spotlight this coming Earth Day.
The delicate lines and colourful threads that adorn the simple t-shirts and jackets are reminiscent of old art, art proper. Charlie Faron, Founder and Creative Director, has encapsulated a moment in time whilst remaining exciting and modern. The simple line drawings hark back to Matisse and Picasso yet encompass very timely statements, kiss my ass corona has been a firm favourite. We caught up with Faron to talk inspiration or lack thereof and the future of the bona fide French brand.
Can you tell us about the brand and it’s ‘raison d’être’?
When I created Encré four years ago, I wanted to take my inspiration from the world of tattooing, to transcribe it onto embroidered clothes. Little by little, as the years went by, it drifted wider, towards art in general. I tend to call it Artwear. The aim is really to try to put poetry on streetwear/classic clothes. For me, this brand is a breeding ground of desires. I decided to employ and create our own workshop, because I want to be able to do what I want, when I want: true artistic freedom. Not to be limited by a minimum production quantity or a small panel of colours/embroidery threads.
When did you come up with the idea for Encré? What or who were your inspirations?
My inspirations are diverse, sometimes coming from people I see or conversations I hear in the street, news, films, photos etc.
What labels or brands do you aspire to be like (if any)?
To be quite honest, there are not many brands that inspire me nowadays, as I find that there is not much originality, or willingness to stand out in the industry. But if I had to name one that I really like, and which is not a clothing brand by the way, it would be LRNCE.
Can you tell us about some upcoming projects? I understand that you have a homeware range coming soon!
We have several projects on the go right now: a brand-new website, the launch of Encré Home for the end of April, and the launch of a new shop in Lyon and a new workshop for May. There are also some collabs to come, including one with the artist KOKETIT.
What are your aspirations for Encré in the next 5 years?
For the next 5 years, it’s hard to say. I would certainly like the brand to continue to develop, the Home branch too, and to have sufficient production capacity to export internationally. I would also love to open a shop (temporary or not, in New York, Berlin and Tokyo). But I think that if the brand still exists in 5 years, it will already be a great challenge. It’s extremely difficult to build a sustainable brand, with all the fast-fashion players taking up a big part of the market and crushing prices.
Do you have a favourite product that you have created?
I’m not sure I have a favourite product, I’ve always loved reproducing paintings, and making crazy one-off pieces, with very large embroideries, which require several frames. I’m also very happy with our latest embroideries, more accentuated on flowers and vases (l’air du temps style), which seem to be very popular. I was afraid of going too far in circles on the faces by drawing them, and to be able to finally find my vision of poetry and romanticism through flowers, and what’s more, that I like it, is a great gift.
If you could collaborate with one designer or artist who would it be and why?
Very good question. To tell you the truth, I have no idea. I would have loved, at the time, to be able to collaborate with Egon Schiele or Matisse for example. But more seriously, there are many artists I love, with whom I’ve already had the chance to work (Paolo Bosson, Laurie Franck, Regards Coupables etc)
Check out Encré online here and scroll down to take a look at their latest campaign…
