Apparel November 2019 Apparel November 2019 issue | Seite 83

BRAND PROFILE
THE METAMORPHOSIS
Elodie’s love for art and design goes back to
her schooling days, when she used to enjoy
sketching. At sixteen, she borrowed her mother’s
sewing machine and started stitching clothes for
her friends and herself. After studying law for six
months, she realised that she wanted to study in
art school and she chose fashion because she
“liked textiles as an artistic support”.
After graduating from L’Institut Supérieur
des Arts Appliqués (LISAA), a school of art
and design, Elodie worked in the prêt-à-porter
segment of the French fashion industry. Looking
back at those years, she says, “Art school
was like a playground. It was the first time that
I allowed myself to explore my creativity and
manual skills. I enjoyed it as much as I struggled
because of it. I was more interested in the artistic
part of fashion. I was not seeing a garment as
a product but as a piece of art. I was more into
haute couture and was immensely drawn to
hand-embroidery”.
Working in the fashion industry in Paris taught
Elodie that it is all about confidence. “Parisian
women are born with a natural instinct for fashion.
They know how to be feminine by simply wearing
jeans, a shirt, and a pair of sneakers. It is a subtle
mix of casual and chic, and it is all about the
attitude.” The city itself taught her lessons that
came from life around her as well as internships
and freelance assignments with fashion houses;
learning the entire process—from design to
ELODIE DEFINES THE BORN
SILHOUETTE AS COOL,
CASUAL, AND CHIC, WITH
THE DESIGNS BEARING
POETIC SIMPLICITY.
production and retail—helped her to establish her
own brand.
In 2005, Elodie took the next step in the
fashion industry by co-founding and being the
head designer of a French label ‘Les Fées de
Bengale’, which, she says, was among the few
brands back then that supported eco-friendly
clothing. The label was testimony to Elodie’s
enduring desire to dabble in conscious fashion.
It was during this time that she put her learnings
back at art school to use. “I realised that getting
the technique right was as important as creativity.
If you don’t understand how to build a garment,
you can never be a good designer,” she says.
In 2013, Elodie moved to India to be reunited
with her now-husband Salil Awchat. “I have
always loved Indian handicrafts that evoke a
sense of pride, and have worked with Indian
artisans, manufacturers, and organisations. So
call it love for the country or just destiny that
brought me here,” she adds.
STATEMENTS ON STYLE
A few years later, as a young mother, she
launched Born. Elodie defines the Born silhouette
as cool, casual, and chic, with the designs
bearing poetic simplicity. “I wanted my clothes to
be creative and refined but not sophisticated. It
is essential that kids remain kids and don’t look
like mini-adults. Even the more exclusive pieces
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