In 2011, a fashion-loving girl observed a strong demand for bow ties. Chrysoline de Gastines decided to turn it into a small business under the name Balzac Paris. Three years later, alongside her husband Victorien de Gastines and her brother-in-law Charles Fourmaux, her brand launched into ready-to-wear. Its signature, which combines responsible fashion and trendy pieces, manages to touch the hearts of French women. Then that of the English, the Belgians, the Swiss...before hitting the Americans with an arrow. In 2024, Balzac Paris's leopard print is still going strong, and turnover continues to climb: 20 million in 2022, with an increase of around 20% each year. Rare in this period when French ready-to-wear has been weakened since the pandemic. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of her brand, Chrysoline de Gastines shares with us the secrets of her success, and her best advice for doing business with complete peace of mind.
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Madame Figaro
. - Your very first commercial product was a bow tie. Why this accessory?
Chrysoline of Gastines. -
In 2011, it was on the rise, and the online offering was quite poor. So we started with this accessory to respond to a request. Very often it was for weddings, and I took care of making stylistic proposals. This is where the name of the brand came from: Honoré de Balzac was a fashion enthusiast and published his
Treatise on Elegant Life
in 1830 in which he talks about the bow tie.
Ten years later, Balzac continues to increase his popularity and his turnover. What explains its success?
In 2014, we were the first French brand to rhyme “responsible” and “desirable”. The Balzac community has also always been at the heart of our concerns, and is part of the success of our brand today. Very often we ask customers about their desires, they are really actors in their consumption. Finally, very strong looks. At Balzac, we have large collars, leopard print... Elements which have forged the DNA of the brand and which we immediately recognize in the street.
Gabin crochet top from Balzac Paris. Balzac Paris
After ten years of creation, can we still be surprised?
With my partners Charles and Victorien, we are self-taught. I came from the press, from the Marie Claire group. I obviously discovered a lot of things by going to the heart of the reactor, in the way of making the products, of sourcing the materials. Today I am learning a lot about the innovation part, responsible fashion. Particularly on leather which offers new things. We are never at the end of our surprises. Especially since Balzac is a curious brand, on the lookout for new trends.
Do better, less and fairer, that's how you define your mantra. How did you build it? What sparked your interest in responsible fashion?
My strong convictions, and beyond that a way of differentiating yourself from the competition. We will never be perfect because we produce clothes, but we are in a dynamic of always doing better. We collaborated with Surfrider (
non-profit organization specializing in ocean protection, Editor's note
) in 2021 by releasing a sweatshirt which was a phenomenal success. We are Surfrider's most important partner to date. We also work with Emmaüs, La Cravate Solidaire, La Soupe Saint-Eustache...
Read alsoBalzac Paris and the Surfrider association imagine a stylish and supportive sweatshirt
You are also the mother of three children. How do we reconcile family life and entrepreneurial life?
Every working mother one day finds herself juggling work and personal life. There is no a miraculous recipe. At the beginning, it was more intense because there were few of us. Then over the years Balzac grew, with roles distributed so that everyone could gain autonomy. We will say that, for my part, I am above all organized.
Balzac Paris black swimsuit. Balzac Paris
French ready-to-wear is in difficulty today. How do you differentiate yourself from your competitors?
I sincerely believe that responsible dynamics and authentic values are an integral part of the answer. With Covid, people have made giant strides, and fashion had to move the lines. The consumer has been more educated, which means, for example, that at Balzac we have QR codes on our clothes to understand where the fabric comes from. Transparency with customers is essential. We also have a “second life space” on our website, so the customer sees the value and realizes that the product she buys ultimately has the opportunity to have a second life. There is a real virtuous circle around the brand that we have built with the sweat of our brow. Today it's difficult to go back if you didn't do that from the start...
What advice would you like to offer the new generation for starting a business?
To surround yourself well. At the start of building a business, finding suppliers is complicated. The entourage is not everything but it is good to have mentors. You must always maintain a certain humility to know how to be challenged, to have brands that make people's daily lives easier, to be sensitive to the consumer because they actively participate in the success of the company. With social networks, people express themselves about brands, that is extremely important and we must never forget it.