I’ve been repairing shoes for 11 years now. I set up the Desbois workshop 3 years ago.

Restoring a beautiful shoe with a story is where the fascination of our job really lies. When you love your shoes it’s important to look after them.

It’s like with your hands: when they’re dry, you put cream on them.

The world of shoe-repairing is changing, and this year we’ve contributed to the next step in the process with the recycling scheme La Fibre du Tri.

Would you more define yourself as a fashion player or a designer ?

I think more than a designer I consider myself a storyteller.My biggest inspiration is my life and everything that I’ve experienced on the way.

Is vintage clothing as important in Paris than in California ?

In California, everybody wears vintage, and it’s completely normal. It’s more of a rarity but it’s definitely prevalent in Paris.
We have introduced Gold Label which is a collection of vintage and recycled garments.
We look at style from the past and put it in to make it better and more modern context.

Would you say that Phipps International is about recycling clothes and styles ?

I started the brand because I didn’t see a change and I wanted to do my part to make a difference.

I’m the Creative Director of a group of Italian restaurants in New York called Sant Ambroeus, and on the whole I’m having fun.

What I like about my job is giving people pleasure (I'm camera-shy), making people laugh.

Creative Director of a restaurant, what does that involve?

It’s about the décoration, we’ve worked with some luxury brands, if you’re interested in Weston, you tell me so.

My first Westons?
I was quite young, they were a gift from my father, who was mad about Weston.

My favourite style of Weston?
That’s maybe the loafer, the Golf derby, or the boat shoes.

Brut Archives, these days, is two things: it’s a vintage store in Paris, and a showroom for people in the fashion business.

What I like most about vintage pieces…
It’s more of an idea that I have, the idea of clothes that stand the test of time, down the generations and through different eras.

The future is going to be very bright for vintage, I think it’s really taking off.

We really need to stop and think about what we’ve been manufacturing during the past few years of fast fashion.
With vintage, we are going back to our roots.

The role of vintage in your style?

Vintage has for a long time a big place in my everyday style. I really like to hunt for vintage clothes and objects. These are pieces that I like a lot because for some, I took several years before finding them. This is what gives them great value in my eyes!

The best way to maintain your pair of shoes?

Personally I like it when city shoes have lived, when leather has folded, softened ... When they are new, I have the impression of being disguised. But to slow wear, it is necessary to moisturize the leather from time to time to prevent it from sensitizing and cracking. Shoe trees must also be used.

The importance, today, of vintage consumption?

I would say that it is important to relearn how to consume well : most of the time, vintage is of much better quality because these are clothes that were designed to last for a long time. Today, I prefer to buy less but better.