Series 【 Parisian 6-years store visit...] Vol.5_Laperruque

In the Corona disaster, going abroad has become a distant thing in itself. However, when you can't go abroad, it is human nature to want to go even more. Don't you all want to travel abroad very badly now? So, until that day arrives, I think it is the role of the media to provide you with a variety of information about the other side of the ocean. This is the fifth installment of the Series by Shunpei Seki, who is active in Paris.

Photo&Text_Jumpei Seki

Shohei Seki
FASHION IMPROVER
Born in Tokyo in 1979. Based in Paris, he works as a Fashion Improver to enhance the value of various companies in Japan and abroad. His work ranges from directing stores and brands to managing joint exhibitions and other events. In October 2019, he will open his own select store "PARKS Paris" in the 16th arrondissement, one of the most exclusive areas in Paris.
Instagram:sekijumpei

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Vol.5_Laperruque

My name is Seki from Fashion Improver, and I've been living in France for almost 6 years since I suddenly moved here in my mid-30's. I'm not fluent in French, but I'm having a good time every day. I'm a middle-aged man who loves fashion, and I'm enjoying my life in Paris. In this project, I would like to introduce some of the wonderful stores that this middle-aged fashion lover has encountered in Paris, along with the people who are involved with them. I hope to share with you the charm of Paris as I, Seki, a HOUYHNHNM's reader like you, have seen it.

Well, there are only two articles left in this Series. In this fifth installment, we will introduce a leather brand where all items are made in a workshop in Paris.LaperruqueThe store and the studio in the basement of the store.

This "Lapeluk" was originally manufactured in Sweden when it was first established. Isn't it a little unusual and intriguing to see a brand change from Swedish to French production? Perhaps it is because I am of the "made in Sweden" generation, but I am very sensitive to the "made in France" concept.

I would like to talk to Robin NOZAY, founder and in charge of commercial and sales, about how the two Robins (who happen to have the same name) met.

Robin NOZAY
After working as an IT engineer at a London bank, he worked in product development for several brands before starting Lapeluk in 2015. As co-owner, he is responsible for sales and commercial for the brand.

Robin HUREAU
After studying law, he entered the world of craftsmanship. He met Robin NOZAY through a blog he was doing as a hobby. As a co-owner, he is mainly in charge of design and production for the brand.

Bonjour, Robin, it's been a long time!

Robin: How long has it been? Nice to see you today.

Robin (HUREAU = design and production manager) is working next door right now, so he seems busy.

Robin: I'm on a bit of a deadline. I'm going to answer for him as well.

Okay. Let's get started. First of all, where are you two from in France?

Robin: I am from Nantes and Robin (HUREAU) is from Orléans.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So when did you come to Paris?

Robin：I was 18 years old. I worked as an IT engineer at a bank in London for a while, and that's when I met Robin (HUREAU).

What did Robin (HUREAU) originally do?

Robin: He was studying law locally and we met in, what, 2008? We were both running different fashion blogs, and we met at a bloggers' event and hit it off and decided to start a blog together.

Interesting that they meet at a blogger event.

Robin: I was in London and he was in Orleans at the time, so we had weekly Skype meetings to discuss what articles to write.

You were in contact with fashion apart from your work, weren't you?

Robin：We were passionate about menswear anyway, and we had a small blog where we introduced various designers and stores. Then French Trotter in Paris advertised on our blog, and Robin (HUREAU) came to Paris to work for French Trotter.

Was Robin still in London at that time?

Robin: Yeah, I was working at a bank during the week, so I only came to Paris on weekends during fashion week to visit shows and exhibitions.

Is your blog still online?

Robin: Yeah,You can still see it.I'm trying to. I don't update it anymore, though.

When I first came to Paris.He also introduced "1LDK PARIS."I think it's a good thing he wrote "Tencho-Seki" (laughs). (Laughs.) I was writing a "Manager Seki Blog" at that time.

Robin: I guess that was the first time we met. It's been six years now.

I just arrived in France at that time and it was too hard, so my memory is a little fuzzy....

Robin: (laughs).

So that blog is what made you decide to pursue a career in fashion?

Robin: Yes, I did. I didn't want to work in banking for the rest of my life, so I decided to go to fashion school in Paris at IFM. My job at the bank and fashion were very far from each other. I graduated from there and started working in product development at French Trotter, then went to London to work in product development at Burberry. I came back to Paris when I became a buyer for a department store in Paris called Printemps.

That's a great career, how is Robin (HUREAU) doing?

Robin: When he was a manager at French Trotter, he was particularly attracted to the many beautiful handbags and leather goods in the store and decided to attend a craftsman's school to pursue a career in the art of making things.

Left: Robin HUREAU, Right: Robin NOZAY

Both of you are learning a lot before you start something new.

Robin：There was a time when we ran a web store called "la belle echoppe" as a joint project between our blog and French Trotter. It is a store that collects only made-in-France items and deals not only in clothes but also in lifestyle goods in general.

I didn't know that. That was before I came to France.

Robin: Since that time, Robin (HUREAU) and I have been friends and business partners, and we both thought we would like to do something together someday.

So you started a brand together. When did that happen?

Robin: 2015.

What does Laperruque mean?

Robin："Lapelque" is a term that refers to items made freely by craftsmen in their atelier apart from their work, and we are very attracted to that. We are very attracted to this type of work. It is not something that the designer has thought of, but something that the craftsman has made on the spot.

I guess it's like a bribe meal in a restaurant.

Robin: It's hard to explain in a concise way, but I'm thinking of creating some editorial content on the website about the product, including that kind of content.

That's exciting. May I also ask about the concept of your brand?

Robin: To create a simple, minimalist, functional product. It is also important that they are beautifully shaped and made of high quality leather. I think it is also important to communicate this directly to the customer. The store has a workshop in the basement where customers can see how the products are made. It is like an open kitchen in a restaurant.

Can customers visit the workshop at any time if they wish?

Robin: Of course. We always ask, "Would you like to see the workshop? Robin: Of course.

If you're not in a hurry, I'm sure you'll want to see it. It would be a wonderful experience. When did you open this restaurant?

Robin: March 2019.

You have been making things in Sweden for a while since you launched your brand, right? Why is that?

Robin：Robin's (HUREAU) girlfriend was going back to Sweden and he was going with her. They found a space to work in in a town called Malmo and started making.

Robin (HUREAU) has been making all of La Perque's products since that time?

Robin: That's right. I would be in Paris and look after the commercial side of things, and he would make them in Marmot. At first we didn't have a sewing machine, so there were times when we did everything by hand.

I thought at the time that made-in-Sweden was a rarity. So, when did Robin (HUREAU) come back to Paris?

Robin: It's September 2019. The basement of the store was just an empty storage space at first, so we had to do some work to make it usable as a workshop and get the wiring in place. So for the first six months, it was like a temporary opening.

So that's how it came to be what it is today. The old flooring and pillars in this store are still in use, and it's very nice.

Robin: This area originally had a lot of leather workshops. So there are still stores that sell leather materials and tools, and the store where we buy thread, koba paint, and other tools has probably been in the same place for about 50 years.

Where do you use most of the leathers in your products?

Robin：Most of my leathers are from France. I also use Belgian and Italian leather, American Horween cordovan, and Japanese leather.

Leather from all over the world is gathered here and turned into products. All the products are made right here in the basement?

Robin: Yes, everything. The only thing we can't do here is the leather straining process, so we outsource that. That process requires a very large machine, and I found one last month for a good price, but it's too big to fit in this store. I hope to put it there someday when we move to a bigger place.

I still think it's fascinating that almost the entire process is completed at this location. Do you sometimes produce leather goods for other brands?

Robin: I can't tell you the name of the brand, but I produce leather goods for several French brands.

I saw a glimpse of you in the workshop below earlier, but I thought you couldn't write about it (laughs). If it was an official collaborating brand, I would be able to write about it, but may I ask what kind of brands you have?

Robin：In France, we are planning to sell leather goods made in collaboration with "DE BONNE FACTURE," "BRUT," and "MONOCLE" in the near future.

Oh, that's exciting. I also want to ask you about your inline line. How do you put together your current collection lineup?

Robin：We continue to improve our standard items each season while gradually adding new items to the lineup. Card cases and key chains, which have been in the lineup since the brand's inception, are still the most popular.

It's similar to the way Devonfacouture's collection was created, which we talked about earlier. They are clothes, though.

Robin：We recently added handbags to our lineup because we have finally been able to make them at a quality level that we are happy with.

I love the minimalism of this handbag collection. Next question. Have you ever been to Japan?

Robin: I don't have one yet. I was invited to Japan for the "La Belle Eshop" pop-up I mentioned earlier, but I couldn't make it and someone else had to go. I was very sad...

I didn't know that. I thought you were going there as a pop-up. What kind of image do you have of Japan?

Robin: "HOW TO WRAP FIVE EGGESI have a book of traditional Japanese packaging called It's a wonderful book that gives you a sense of Japanese aesthetics.

I'm really interested in that book. I'm going to buy it and read it.

Robin: I also like Japanese architecture and ceramics, and there are many great products in leather goods. You can feel the craftsmanship everywhere. Oh, and of course, Japanese food (laughs). But there is also an innovative side, so it's a very interesting country where new technologies and traditions are fused together.

In terms of leather goods, I'm also interested in the differences between Japanese and French factories and craftsmen, but that's a long story for another time (laughs). What do you want to do with this brand and store from now on?

Robin: I would like to have a larger store and workshop. I used to think about setting up a store in a more public place, but I've come to the conclusion that it would be better for people to find interesting things going on in a back street place like this. So it would be great if we could find a bigger space around here. I don't want to open a lot of stores, I want to make my brand such that even if there is only one store in Paris, people from all over the world will visit it.

I can relate to this idea very well. Do you plan to make anything other than leather goods in the future?

Robin：Yes, as I mentioned earlier, "lapelque" refers to a variety of products, so in addition to leather goods, ceramics, glassware, scarves, and textiles would also be good. It sounds like a dream, but I'd like to have a huge workshop where artisans from different fields can create beautiful products.

That's very interesting! I'd love to see that sometime. Okay, last question. I know this is a question I ask everyone, but what has changed the most since the Corona situation?

Robin: The wholesale business has mostly stopped. We haven't had any exhibitions for a while. Instead, our store sales, including web sales, are growing. Wholesale and store sales used to be about 70:30, but now it has reversed to 30:70. I have also started a made-to-order service in the store. We have already received a few orders, so we hope to grow this business as well.

I think this is a business model that fits well with the current times, as it will become more and more important for customers to have a special experience. It was great to hear so many interesting things today. Thank you very much!

Robin: Thank you as well!

~ After completing the interview...

Bribe rice and open kitchen.

I am not sure if my interpretation is correct (laugh), but the origin of the brand name is the same, and products made in the basement workshop are sold directly in the store. I thought that what they are doing is easy to understand if you apply it to the concept of a restaurant.

It is very modern (perhaps it is social networking now) that two people who met through blogging hit it off and started a blog and then a brand, but I look forward to the future of the brand, where the division of roles is clear and each person's strengths are fully utilized.

I am also planning to make something with them for my own store.

Their story at the end sounded like a dream, but somehow I could see the picture even concretely, and I was excited to hear it. I would like to visit there someday.

Now, in the next and final installment, we would like to visit an appointment-based store of the brand, which was started to convey the charm of traditional French attire to the modern world. I believe this is the first time that an interview with the designer will be introduced in the Japanese media. Please look forward to it!