Géraldine Guyot, the woman behind Destree who seduces fashion bosses

With a slender body, long, wavy blond hair, a velvety gaze under brown eyebrows, Géraldine Guyot exudes as much seriousness in her impeccable appearance as she does in determination.

This is what suggests, in any case, a meeting by videoconference.

Her long, slender fingers come alive as she recounts her flawless run.

It was through bags and hats that she made her entry into fashion in 2016. Functional accessories designed with limpid and tempered lines, thus wanted to put a little audacity in everyday outfits.

It was six years ago, the Frenchwoman finished her studies of communication in art at the fashion school Central Saint Martins, in London.

And was looking for something to take care of before embarking on active life,

probably to a gallery or museum.

She was then 23 years old.

"It was obvious that I wanted to work in art, only I didn't really know how to approach it."

She tests.

Launches its Destree brand by first advocating an artisanal approach: the headgear is made in a millinery on the outskirts of Paris and the bags in workshops in Italy.

Very quickly, they are sold all over the planet, mainly via the Internet.

Jewelery joins the offer, then clothing in November 2021, introduced to “tell a story around accessories”.

Small business thrives.

And in his thinking head, the vocabulary and the state of mind that go with it: an abundance of Franglais and energy to spare.

Géraldine Guyot explains "learning from her mistakes" or taking out the agility card when she does not know.

“Tax side, accounting, all that, I was lost.

But hey, I learn quickly.

Quickly, she joined forces all the same with Laëtitia Lumbroso, an “Essec profile” whose CV reassures, met thanks to an advertisement posted on the Fashionjob site.

Same size, same pace, the two women get along well and complement each other.

The youngest of a clan of four highly qualified children, Géraldine Guyot grew up in a family where education was strictly regulated.

“Everyone has done HEC or Essec.

It was studies and business above all, art and fashion had to remain a passion, ”she says from New York, where she has lived for a year and a half.

She offers another reading: her passion as a business, with a certain tropism for the start-up spirit.

In 2020, she scores points.

A concentration of personalities

During this period, a big shift is actually taking place for the little label.

But the Covid is holding everything back.

It took two years for the announcement to finally fall: Rihanna and Beyoncé, world-famous singers and businesswomen at the head of several fashion empires, invested in her small Parisian brand which, until then, had eight people .

Impressive names to which the young elderly woman attaches others just as eloquent: Jessica Alba, Gisele Bündchen, Emily Weiss, Reese Witherspoon, or even the American fashion designer Gabriela Hearst, currently artistic director of Chloé.

And that of the Venezuelan Carmen Busquets, a leading figure in the financial circles of the luxury industry, who transformed the sites Net-a-porter, GiftLab.com and Moda Operandi into global successes.

Géraldine Guyot cares about faultlessness, and that of gathering around her a concentration of personalities who exude power and triumph.

“These women are visionary entrepreneurs, they are a huge source of inspiration,” she explains when asked about the role they will play.

Their contribution remains mainly financial in order to help the brand to deploy.

This will be visible from July, with the opening of a first store in Paris, located close to the Jardin des Tuileries.

They will also be asked about their area of ​​expertise.

“If they respond, so much the better.

They don't respond, well, that's part of the game."

This fundraising is worth a trophy, recognition even, despite an amount locked to any communication.

Géraldine Guyot prefers to recount the "many slaps" that she and her partner received before filling up with shareholders who shine: "We saw tons of people, and we had lots of refusals, from a world of men, mainly.”

To the point of making them change their strategy and focus on exclusively female encounters.

"By dint of talking to a man, two men, three men, then talking to a woman, we realized that our brand, image and business vision resonated more with them."

To support them in this business factory, they first convinced Angelica Cheung to invest in the brand:

another star of the fashion business sector, a partner in the Sequoia Capital fund (which recently became the owner of the Ami brand), she is also the former boss of Vogue China.

A name that found a certain echo among its famous investors.

And which testifies, here again, to Géraldine Guyot's talent for forging work and friendship ties with influential personalities.

Worldly wedding

Her marriage seems to follow the same trend.

On Instagram, her approximately 41,800 subscribers enjoy her colorful and well-dressed looks, but also the couple she forms with Alexandre Arnault, the son of LVMH boss Bernard Arnault, via romantic photos that she regularly posts on the social network.

And who are by far the most "liked".

Last year, she celebrated her union, in Venice, with the man who holds the position of executive director of products and communication for the American jeweler Tiffany.

An article in the American edition of

then gave an overview of the stunning network that revolves around the couple, reporting that in the midst of parents, uncles and aunts, 

 by Tiffany & Co.), Simon Porte Jacquemus, Roger Federer, Pharrell Williams or Omar Sy.

Read alsoAlexandre Arnault and Géraldine Guyot, the marriage in sight of the LVMH heir and the designer of D'Estrëe

This mastery of

the young designer welcomes it with reserve.

“All this media coverage around our marriage was against our wishes.”

She fears shortcuts.

“I have been building this brand with my partner for five years.

I would find it unfair to associate my husband's name with this case.

We went to find these women, contact after contact.

The whole team went to great lengths to get there.”

And to continue on this idea that the entourage remains despite everything “important” in the success of a project.

"At home, it's the family cocoon that played a huge role."

Understand, father.

"By listening to his stories of entrepreneurship, I told myself that I could do it too".