Discover the Art of Pochette Square Pocket Squares & Fashion Accessories
The preservation of good taste is at the core of fashion accessories brand Pochette Square. From pocket squares, ties, and bow-ties to scarves, stoles, headbands, and pouche bags, the French-based brand’s fashion accessories are created following the rules of art. With the help of French and Italian craftsmen, each Pochette Square design features handmade details and the finest 100% natural textiles.
When it comes to design, Pochette Square offers inspired patterns, each a special work of art created by brand founder Sébastien Descamps. With a mix of contemporary patterns and vintage illustrations, Pochette Square strives to create new and unique emotions for those who wear their designs. Read on to meet Sébastien Descamps and learn more about the art of Pochette Square’s fashion accessories!
Lh Exclusive Interview with Sébastien Decamps, Pochette Square Founder & Designer
Love Happens: Tell us a bit about what led up to the idea to start Pochette Square. Why pocket squares?
Sébastien Descamps: I created Pochette Square in 2013. The initial idea, first of all, was to propose an e-shop dedicated to pocket squares, these little squares of silk, cotton, linen, or wool which bring a resolutely arty and dandy final touch to an outfit.
In parallel, my desire was to draw and create completely unique designs. I was previously an AD in advertising agencies. I was putting ideas into pictures for print and TV advertising, but a lot of pretty ideas went to the trash. So I felt the need for independence to be able to express myself without judgment from anyone else.
Thanks to laser printing technologies, the designs I create are printed with great fidelity on a noble material such as silk. Each square becomes a bit like a work of art and we produce them in limited editions so there is little chance that your best friend will have the same pocket square as you.
After two years, we decided to enlarge our 33x33cm format with square scarves of 50x50cm and 100x100cm to appeal to women. After all, our designs are not just for men.
Lh: Tell us a bit about your design process. How do you select the patterns for your pieces?
Sébastien: Inspiration is a complex process. The basic premise is that I wish, in each of my drawings, to tell a story from a white square. I create all the patterns and then I go in search of vintage photos and retro illustrations. Animals, Nature and Man coexist almost in each drawing to raise the question of the place of the human being in his environment and in his society. I like to show how Nature and its millions of patterns inspire graphic creation.
I compose my squares with a vision very close to that of a painter. They are executives, they must respond to a particular structure. But they are also scarves and as such, colors play a considerable role. Their selection is a very long reflection and a succession of tests.
Lh: Your pocket squares are hand-rolled by female workers who keep their “roulette” technology secret—tell us about this.
Sébastien: The roulotté is a very particular technique that requires knowledge which unfortunately tends to disappear. The workers—often women whose dexterity, patience, and thoroughness is far superior to that of men in my opinion—slip a very thin metal rod on the long scarf, then they wrap the edges and come to sew this fabric rolled on it, even. It is quite an art and the difference between machine or hand technique is quite obvious.
Lh: In a few words, why should one choose fashion accessories like pocket squares or scarves to add to their outfit?
Sébastien: We create designs that must be chosen first with a crush. When we love the Pochette Square style, we love all of our designs. They are colorful, unique, and quite special accessories to tell the truth. They obviously don’t appeal to everyone, but once you love them, you quickly start collecting them :). With their intricate patterns and illustrations, scarves are enough to wake up an outfit. I suggest sobriety for the look and accessories that have a strong personality.
Lh: I love that you have a Style Tips section on your website, can you tell us a few of your favorite styling tips?
Sébastien: For a scarf, there are hundreds of ways to tie: around the neck, in the hair, in a belt, in the handbag, on the wrist … I think scarves are a real “everyday companion” that offers dozens of lives to our outfits.
The knotting that you need to know is simple and will allow your scarf to always hold on well, without losing its shape throughout the day: Fold your square in half in a diagonal direction to obtain a triangle. Then immediately fold the tip towards the center. Then roll the scarf on itself. You get a long scarf to tie easily wherever you want and the tip, trapped in the center of the scarf, will not move during the day.
Lh: What do you love most about what you do?
Sébastien: Draw. To immerse myself in the definition of a new collection and to develop it through around twenty drawings is a real pleasure. It is also something quite impressive because, from a blank page, you have to have ideas, all the time. Inspiration is not always where you expect it and you have to know how to give your unconscious enough time to express itself. It’s a process that I try to analyze every time. There are things that I begin to understand, others that remain mysterious and it is not worse. I think that creation gives life and is the real engine of the company.
Of course, I also like the commercial part: going to meet all these wonderful shops that welcome and offer my brand is a joy. The people who created them are very inspired and inspiring. I send them my full support.
Lh: How has the current global pandemic affected your business?
Sébastien: The Covid19 crisis had a triple impact on my company: my resellers first – they are the ones I think a lot about right now—received our last collection in early March and had to close their doors a few days later. It was very very difficult for many of them. In the end, they reopen little by little and are just beginning to propose this collection. Will they need an Autumn Winter 2020 collection? It is very difficult to say today.
Containment was also torture for the development of the new collection. Our drawings are rather poetic and full of life. How to transmit joy and beauty in the midst of this global crisis? The inspiration was very hard to find. But, I found it! And the new collection promises to be superb and optimistic!
Finally, the most glaring to date is the cancellation of all the spring ceremonies, events, and weddings where we dress future grooms and their guests with our accessories for example. We also work regularly with Parisian museums such as the Center Pompidou or Versailles for thematic exhibitions for which we develop unique products. This whole period is lost and the events shifted. But, I keep hope.
What Is the Future of Fashion?
Lh: What advice would you give to someone looking to make it in the fashion accessories industry?
Sébastien: Knowing that it takes time is the best advice I think. It is sometimes an emotional rollercoaster between failures and successes. You have to believe in your project. It must be simple, done honestly, and with respect for our world and for Nature. Inject esthetic into all strata of the company. And call on partners who have real and inimitable know-how. Basically, do things with common sense, honesty, and rigor while always injecting beauty.
Lh: Since starting with pocket squares you have added numerous other artful fashion accessories and even posters to your collection. Do you have plans to add other products?
Sébastien: I would love to go into the world of the beach to offer beautiful beach towels and foutas. Now I have to find the people who do it with passion and heart.
Lh: Is there anything else you would like to share?
Sébastien: Let’s always see the beauty of Nature despite our modern and industrial lives. Let’s see the beauty of a bird, a leaf, a landscape, a look. Everything is inspiring in Nature.
By Anna Beck Bimba
