THREE QUARTERS OF A CENTURY’S JOURNEY

Monique’s childhood :

Monique, eldest of 8 children, was born in Madagascar in Tsaratanana which is the highest point of the island. Her father was a civil servant. He was thus sent to France by the government to pursue his studies which is how Monique first came to live in Paris at the age of 9. 

The picture above features Monique sitting on her mother’s lap dressed in a smocked dress.

To give her parents time to settle in and find a home for all the family, she was put under the trust of Mrs Michèle Darde, a highly elegant upper class Parisian, who became her French godmother. She is is the one who taught her all about the French art of living. She allowed her to discover French art, history and literature. Together they read “Le Petit Prince” (the Little Prince) and sang “comptines” (French nursery rhymes). She educated her eyes towards beauty and sophistication. This has stayed with her ever since. 

She also had an amazing collection of porcelain with the finest floral patterns which greatly impressed Monique. This love of flowers inspires her creations up to this day. Nature is forever present in our collections, be it in our fabrics, our embroideries or smocks. 

The picture above features Léonore wearing one of our cherished designs named Jardin du Luxembourg featuring the floral vases of her favourite Parisian garden.

This experience strongly influenced Monique who truly fell in love with French culture and with Paris. The family then went back to Madagascar. Storing all the precious memories of her time in the French capital in her heart, she promised herself to return!

Monique studies and first professional experiences

Back in Madagascar, Monique then finished her education in a catholic school run by nuns in Antananarivo.

In spite of her artistic talents, her parents strongly encouraged her to take up scientific studies. She was granted a scholarship and went to study in France. 

She graduated with success as an engineer and did two internships at the NASA centre of Madagascar. Fond of the country since childhood (At school, when asked to pick a country to study, she immediately chose the US and learnt all about its culture, geography and history), she was hoping to get a position but destiny would not have it so. Due to political changes, it was no longer possible.

However she was lucky, much later on in the late 80s, to be invited by the American State Department in the 80s to present her work. 

Monique in NY in the late 80s

She was then employed as an electronic engineer for a Malagasy firm putting together Sanyo products. 

Yet the company faced difficulties and she was made redundant. Five decades ago women in the sector were so rare that she was considered a complete alien. Struggling to find work in the field, feeling that she had studied for nothing, she became very depressed. To fight against this feeling of uselessness and rejection, she turned towards creativity.

Using all the tools and objects she could find, she let her imagination flow freely. She created dolls, made them clothes, painted, created belts out of macramé, cushions, bags… She had a small boutique and also held exhibitions to show her work. As her dad said she soon became successful with her “rags”. This creative experimentation phase was very gratifying and comforted her choice of an artistic career. It brought her renewed joy and gave her the boldness to pursue her passion. Proving to the world that a woman could launch her own company became a personal challenge.

Building her dream

At 27 years old, very determined, she knocked at every door to ask for funds to create her own atelier and it worked! French Canadians from the ACDI (Canadian International Development Agency) agreed to support her financially. She set up her own company which produced all types of crafts exhibited at French shows. 

She then decided to focus exclusively on children’s wear only. Blending a typically chic Parisian style with high quality local Madagascan craftsmanship was to become her signature. Her aim was to highlight the skill of her country and to allow it to bring beauty to the world.

 The company grew very fast and soon reached an industrial size. It had 3 sites and 1200 employees! It was like a small village with nurseries for the working mothers, canteens… It was among the first French exporting company in Madagascar. Yet her greatest reward was not so much the size or figures but in the pride on her employees faces as they discovered their own skills once trained! Taking care of others, be it as a big sister, mum, friend or head of company, is truly part of her DNA.

The clothes were made for the best European children’s brands such as Bonpoint, Cyrillus and Jacadi who were delighted by the smock expertise which they were unable to make themselves. Collaborating with very demanding design teams was an excellent training. 

Yet the work pace was crazy and the production amounts so huge that after a while she started to feel disconnected from reality and from her initial goal which was and still is to be useful through beauty and to value human beings. The entire country then faced a huge crisis and the entire island went on strike for over 10 months. This put an end to all overseas partnerships and work ceased….

However Monique did not wish to give up her dream! During thirteen years, she sold her dresses on the markets of Paris, Versailles and its surroundings. She also took part in various fairs. Working outdoors all day long, constantly driving from one place to another whilst raising three children was tough. In spite of the difficulties, she was happy for she had “the treasure of the heart’ : the ability to make others happy. Through her dresses, she brought joy to mums and little girls. Seeing the dresses worn with bright smiles  and then being passed down from sister to sister filled her heart!

Monique at a smocks fair in South Kensington London

Her perseverance gradually paid off and she was able to fulfil the dream of her life and open her very own boutique L’Île aux Fées in the heart of Paris in 2009.

A serendipitious encounter

Sybille (Charlotte)

In 2016, she was joined by Sybille (Charlotte) who began as an intern and never left! Her encounter with Monique was written in the stars! She knocked at the door of the boutique one warm summer day asking if the company was looking for interns. She said “I cannot do much but I can speak English”. Monique was closing the boutique to travel back to Madagascar the next day. Had she come later, they would never have met. 

She thus began as an intern in 2016 and never left! It was truly love at first sight with both the dresses and the team. As the years go by the passion grows and the bond with Monique becomes deeper and deeper. She has fully embraced Monique’s vision and values. She owes her so much, Monique has taught her everything, not just professionally but also on a personal and human scale.

Together they feel deeply committed to go beyond and above to share happiness and love daily. It’s not just about pretty dresses, it’s about spreading joy from one end to the other, both to the talented team in Madagascar, to all our partners and to each and every one who enters our world, be it virtually or physically at the boutique. We are very small but do believe that every little helps and can make a difference!

Sybille, whose nickname has become Charlotte thanks to the brand, feels blessed beyond words for all the encounters made all over the world. Thanks to the brand she has met the most inspiring families and built incredible friendships. She has received so much love and kindness and strives to give back as much as she can. Making families happy through gorgeous clothes is only part of her mission. She believes it is part of her calling to encourage mums, to highlight the beauty of motherhood, to support families facing challenges and of course to take part in the team’s well being! She has grown equally fond of Madagascar to the point that she travels annually and is learning the language.

Monique now spends most of the time there, at the atelier, which is truly her “happy place”. She continues to select each and every fabric herself, to design each collection, to train the team and pass down her know-hows and skills. And of course, loves to travel back to Paris to find renewed inspiration and fresh ideas. She feels fully at home in both countries.

Three of the most memorable experiences of her career

In the 90s, Monique was invited to take part in the Palais Galliera (Paris’s fashion museum)’s fashion exhibit dedicated to children’s fashion. For this special occasion, she designed two dresses : one with the music notes of Summer Time and one with embroideries representing New York’s Central Park.

Another incredible experience was working for Baby Dior. The luxury fashion house asked Monique to design a white long legged romper for a special collection of theirs. 

Another highlight took place in 2016. Whilst collaborating with a Spanish brand based in the UK, we were asked to create a collection of smocked dresses. One of them, a lavender blue classic Peter Pan collar and puffed sleeves dress with coral smocks was gifted by our partner to Princess Charlotte of Wales, member of the British royal family. To our utter amazement and delight, the dress which we had lovingly imagined and made from the very first to last stitch, was worn by the princess during an official trip to Canada as part of a royal tour in. We could not have been more honored.

This dress is part of our iconics and available on our e-shop

Biggest challenges ahead

In spite of its astonishing treasures, Madagascar is a very challenging country to work in. Highlighting the country’s exceptional craftsmanship is key but ensuring the well being of its inhabitants is all the more important. Far from us the idea of acting on a national scale yet ensuring the well being of all our team members and their families is our greatest mission. This goes beyond offering good working conditions and includes taking care of their health, safety, making sure their children receive proper education and allowing women to be fully independent.

Another aim of ours is to transition to solar energy so as to be entirely independent and more eco-friendly. And of course keeping the smocks know-how alive!

Alone we can do so little but together we can do so much! So far, we have been blessed with the most incredible encounters along the way! We have great hope in the future and trust in the journey.

Read more articles about our brand, know-how and story here