Sibylle Godot : A committed scarves designer
Sibylle Godot, founder of Armance & Apolline, talks about her career, her desire
to create and her love for fabrics and design. Vosgesian birth and
Parisian adoption, her line of scarves is in tune with the times, with different
inspirations. All unique and singular, they are labelled “Made in Paris”.
An eco-friendly brand and a designer who is colourful and creative.
“Who is Sibylle Godot?
I am the founder of the brand Armance & Apolline.
I have worked for a long time in the tertiary sector as an administrative and financial manager.
In 2017, I joined a business incubator to ensure the development of my brand and since this year I am a micro-entrepreneur. This project is carried by my entire family. One of my daughters is very involved in marketing and my other daughter is a role model (laughs).
I grew up in textiles. My father worked for a long time in workshops, my sister is a seamstress. It is a transmission of family knowledge.
Why Armance & Apolline?
Armance & Apolline are the first names of my two daughters. Reference due to my literary sensibility. Armance being the first novel of Stendhal and Apolline, the name of the mother of Chateaubriand.
I absolutely wanted my brand to be a French name.
What made you want to become creative?
After thirty years spent in the tertiary sector, I had the impression of turning in a loop. I wanted to be independent and to undertake. I wanted to give meaning to my professional life. I wanted to create, to work with my hands. I thought it was time to start my business, to do what I wanted to do, to stand on my own.
What are your sources of inspiration?
Inspiration comes to me alone. I dare the contrasts, I play with shades. By choosing my fabrics, I find harmony and I get a good balance between fluids, warm, alive and colours.
The combination of materials and colours is very important. I also find inspiration in traveling. They make me open to other cultures, make me discover different creative breaths. But also, two years of art history studies have sharpened my sensitivity for design and painting, which enliven the spirit of each creation.
Do you have favourite materials, fabrics?
Yes. I love working with silk. It is a living material, extraordinary and resistant.
Warm in winter, cold in summer, it adapts to all seasons. I like flax a lot. It is a totally natural plant material whose production respects the environment and it is much easier to work. Flax is my “madeleine de Proust”, I always liked this fabric. This is the first topic I have worked on. I also like working alpaca which is a noble matter that inspires me.
I test the materials, touch them, see if they are comfortable to wear.
What is ethical fashion for you?
For me it is important to adopt a fair trade: manufacturing in France is a good way, not only to design a less destructive fashion for man and the environment, but also to find solutions for social and human commitments that are the vectors of many positive effects on fashion. For me, having a good traceability of products and using French know-how is important. I got closer to ESAT (institutions and services of help through work) which contribute to a social and professional integration of disabled adults to integrate them in companies and I was also interested in the association of the professionals of the Fashion and Design of the Goutte d’Or which offers collaborative and artisanal production tools that allow small local companies to pool their know-how and highlight the concept of “made in France” solidarity.
Do you consider your line of scarves as eco-responsible?
Yes. Especially because I apply the up-cycling using the end of rollers of creators who, little ago, were destined to the destruction, to give them a new life. My position as a creative craftsman also highlights the quality of the products, which, as far as my brand is concerned, are designed, assembled and sewn in my workshop in the heart of Paris.
Also, I give my own fabric scrap to an entrepreneur whose goal is to lead creative workshops on recycling and recovery of recycled objects.
Tell me a typical day in your workshop.
I do not have any “typical” days. It is important for me that they are different. I get up in the morning and choose what I want to do. I do not want to work in the constraint.
Generally, I start with e-mails and, in half-days, I can go from managing social networks to logistics through accounting or reseller search.
Having my studio and office in the same place gives me the ability to manage my time how I want. The only thing I forbid myself (in a decided tone): procrastination.
Why did you choose AFFAIRES ÉTRANGÈRES to represent your brand?
It’s AFFAIRES ÉTRANGÈRES who chose me (laughs), I jumped at the chance. AFFAIRES ÉTRANGÈRES is reaching a target that I am struggling to reach, who appreciates the high-end and who is looking for unique products. AFFAIRES ÉTRANGÈRES allows me to rub shoulders with other creators and put my scarves in value. The DNA is close to what corresponds to my values.
Beyond the marketing and commercial aspect, there is an affinity in the exchanges and the choices of the products. Mutual respect and kindness, which are important to me.
It happens to me to buy fabrics saying to me: this will please AFFAIRES ÉTRANGÈRES.”
Interview by Apolline PRULHIERE.
