WINNER FEATURE
LOU DE BÈTOLY
07/23
Lou de Bètoly is a Berlin label founded by the French designer Odely Teboul in 2018.
The label’s main inspirational sources are surrealism, decadence, extravagance and oneirism. Lou de Bètoly stands for delicate, detail-oriented, and expressive garments for fearless women of all ages. It combines elegance with extravagance, fragility with chaos, innovation with nostalgia, and deliberately pushes against the boundaries of fashion – into fields such as contemporary art and traditional craftsmanship.
Lou de Bètoly works exclusively with vintage and dead stock textiles that are reworked, embellished and turned from waste material into Haute Couture. This is done by the designer herself in a small Berlin studio, with an emphasis on handcraft and needlework techniques such as knit, crochet and embroidery.
WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION OR GOAL WHEN YOU CAME UP WITH YOUR STORE/ATELIER CONCEPT?
My inspiration for the presentation concept comes directly from my artistic practice. I’m as much a fashion designer as I’m an artist, collector, and forager.
All garments are made from second-hand materials, a lot of which I find at flea markets and antique shops. Then there’s always a lot of art, drawings, found objects, and other little pieces that are a part of my design process. I want to immerse the visitor in the creative universe of Lou de Bètoly, in a more intimate way than I usually do in a fashion show context. So I want to take all that and design a playground or cabinet of curiosities that transports customers into this surreal, dreamlike world. In this intimate setting, they’ll be able to appreciate the detail of the garments and accessories but also follow my artistic process through their own exploration.
HOW DOES THE LOCATION BERLIN INFLUENCE YOUR WORK?
Berlin has always been the best location choice for my brand and me personally. It offers a base level of creative and financial freedom, and the focus on experimentation, individuality, and sustainability that guide my label are all very present in the city.
I’m very happy to be a part of the emerging avant-garde fashion scene here, and have such a rich pool of collaborators from all kinds of genres to draw on. The creative scene here also has a deep commitment to sustainability that aligns with my brand's ethos of using vintage and deadstock textiles to create high-end couture garments. Berlin inspires me to create garments that are both innovative and socially responsible.
DESCRIBE YOUR JOURNEY INTO THE FASHION WORLD UP TO THE PRESENT DAY.
I grew up in France, and my fashion journey began when I was very small. I was drawn in by crafts such as embroidery, crochet, knitting, and hand stitching from an early age. Later, I studied fashion design and pattern drafting in Paris, with a specialisation in Haute Couture. I graduated from Esmod Paris in 2006 and had the opportunity to work for Jean Paul Gaultier for several seasons before settling in Berlin.
I founded Lou de Bètoly in 2018. In 2019, 2020 and 2022 I was able to present my first collections at Berlin Fashion Week. Running my own independent label employing a fully sustainable approach and time consuming techniques has definitely proved an extra challenge since having my daughter in 2021. But I would never want to stop it, so doing one show and one presentation a year is the perfect approach for me at the moment.
WHAT KIND OF IMPACT DO YOU WISH TO CREATE WITH YOUR STORE/ATELIER?
First and foremost, I hope to create a memorable, intimate, immersive experience that lets people
enter the creative world from which my designs emerge. Since my label uses deadstock, vintage and second hand materials only, I also hope I can sensitize people to more eco-conscious practices and social responsibility when it comes to fashion. There’s so much stuff on this planet already, and it’s totally possible to make incredible, high-end art and design out of found material. I also hope to promote traditional craftsmanship and needlework techniques that have been a part of my process from an early age. I think there’s great value in trying to preserve these traditional techniques for future generations.