Etienne Deroeux, fashion success for a young French designer

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Oct 9, 2014

Etienne Deroeux: a new name to remember in the French fashion landscape. In recent seasons, the young designer has been noted for his rigorous and intelligent work, released through his eponymous label, launched in 2011, that is entirely produced in France. 

Inspired by sportswear as well as American architecture and design from 1950-60, Etienne Deroeux’s ready-to-wear line for women is noteworthy for its use of noble materials and delicate cuts that embody French couture.

"The idea is to build a US-inspired brand that offers quality products with quality materials at a good price. For example, I use cotton mesh, cotton and silk. I get my fabrics from Italy from the Tuscan manufacturer Faliero Sarti. I work mostly on a functional daytime wardrobe that is fairly adaptable and urban," said the designer during Paris Fashion Week.

The talented, angelic-faced designer, who graduated at 16 and a half, began in fashion at a young age, having been raised by a designer, Martine Carette, who is now his partner alongside Daniel Hettmann. After starting out at 17 years old at Jean-Louis Scherrer, Deroeux, who is from Lille, France, entered the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts and the School of La Cambre in Brussels. 

He subsequently began to work with Peter Pilotto in London, and then Matthew Ames in New York. Returning from the United States in 2011, he decided to found his own label in Paris. It did not take long for his discreet luxury line to be noticed. The designer, who is also a Woolmark Award finalist, was selected two years ago as part of the Designers Apartment initiative, promoted by the Fédération Française de la Couture and DEFI to support young French designers.

Having presented at the fourth season of the showroom Designers Apartment in September, Deroeux is now ready to spread his wings no that he has found an importer in New York. He dreams of walking both in the footsteps of Jean Patou, his precursor in sportswear who was the first to designer to successfully sell tennis dresses in the US, as well as Lacoste, which has been showing in New York for ten years. 

"In the near future, I’m going to show in New York while continuing, of course, to present my collections Paris," said the young, very pragmatic and determined, who saw his sales grow by 600% within a few seasons. Today, his brand has about twenty or so multibrand customers in the United States, England and Asia, including in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Etienne Deroeux also works with other brands, having just released a capsule collection for the label Le Mont Saint Michel.