OhOn the third floor of a typical Alsatian building in Strasbourg, a door leads to a bright studio dotted with mannequins in bridal outfits. This is where James and ViviAnn Du Fermoir-de-Monsac live and work. They design couture wedding dresses and are looked after by their cheerful mascot, a yellow parakeet named Adam. They did it by dragging.
The two said that seeing customers in their drag roles creates an atmosphere that allows people to accept their identity. They know that in a world where the vision of an ideal bride is often still a thin, white, and strong person, the traditional experience of buying a wedding dress is not always easy for everyone.
“That’s why we chose to change dress and open, because we want to say to everyone, no matter who you are, we welcome you,” ViviAnn said.
The dresses start at 1,500 Euros (£1,290) and were designed after two hours of negotiation with clients about their needs. ViviAnn’s influences include Jean Paul Gaultier and Christian Dior, while James is a loyal supporter of Coco Chanel and the flapper era; ViviAnn is “obsessed with the shoulders”, inspired by the sparkling costumes she wore when participating in dance competitions, and James was Focus on fine embroidery work.
James said that different methods complement each other.
“I used all the rhinestones to calm her down, and she pushed me farther,” he said.
However, they said that their main focus is on what their customers want, whether it is a cloak suitable for wheelchair users or a style that other designers would not try-a recent customer told James and After ViviAnn came to James and ViviAnn she could not marry in sneakers.
“The marriage industry is still a bit classical, and many people have been forgotten,” Vivian said. “No matter what your taste is, no matter what your body shape is, we love everyone, and we hope everyone loves themselves.”
“We want people to be the best they can be on their wedding day,” James said.
Du Fermoir-de-Monsac’s first client was a four-year-old boy who wanted to wear a dress at the wedding, but his mother was worried that doing so would cause negative attention. So the pair made him a short skirt, ViviAnn said he wears it to school now. “This is the cutest thing ever,” she said, holding a picture of a little purple tartan boy in her hand.
Pierre Hermé’s chocolatier James and hairdresser ViviAnn met in a drag contest in 2019-James is the judge and ViviAnn is the contestant. They formed an indissoluble bond for the fact that both sisters made wedding dresses. ViviAnn studied fashion at École Duperré in Paris. James is self-taught-he started sewing on his grandmother’s machine when he was 13 years old.
when France It was locked for the first time in the spring of 2020, and there was no work to cut hair or make chocolates. James called ViviAnn and asked if she wanted to open a wedding boutique. ViviAnn said yes, as long as they can name it Du Fermoir-de-Monsac (after her father’s nickname for her mother) and as long as she can do it in her dress. James decided to join her and quickly set out to create a new character named after his favorite childhood movie “James and the Peach”. (They asked to use the name of their drag character in this work.)
The boutique opened in April and launched the first Du Fermoir-de-Monsac collection at the fashion show in June-a carnival of lace, leather, spikes and tulle, tailored for all body types.
After the show, James and Vivienne’s cross-dressing characters “married” in a fake ceremony (although they are still friends and roommates in life).
ViviAnn wore a striking white dress with ruffled neoprene shoulder straps, and James wore a black jumpsuit, secured with a rivet belt.
“We are close friends in life, we decided to marry James and ViviAnn when we started a wedding company,” ViviAnn said. “We get married in the name of fashion.”
In the coming year, the couple will show their designs on the bridal show, looking for new clients, and they hope to hire a small team. When the economic outlook is uncertain and the future of the pandemic is unknown, they exude rare optimism.
