French couture designer Delphine Genin discusses how the newly launched online haute couture embroidery classes are going, how else her business has adapted to COVID-19 and what the business has learned during this time.
How are the classes going so far? How many students do you have?
We have had a fantastic response to the introduction of Delphine Genin School so far, with interest both in Australia and internationally for the online classes.
Prior to the classes officially launching this month, we had a waiting list of nearly 100 people who had expressed interest in learning more about haute couture embroidery with us, with a number of people also interested in the intimate, in-person classes we are planning to launch in Australia later this year.
How else have you adapted your business during COVID?
After launching our latest collection ‘Night At The Opera’ in March, we were planning to host clients in our atelier in Melbourne.
Of course, this quickly proved to be impossible with the evolving social restrictions as a result of COVID-19.
We made the decision early to close our atelier and shift to working from home.
It was more important for us and for the business that we continue to express our passion for the craft of haute couture, and fortunately we have some incredibly talented artisans who are able to continue their intricate work from home.
Although we weren’t able to meet with our clientele in the atelier, we created an immersive experience via our website which introduced each of the designs from the collection and referenced the history and inspiration for each creation, so that we could still tell the story of the brand and the collection while unable to meet in person.
What has been the biggest challenge and how have you overcome it?
I have never been afraid of facing challenges.
In my previous career, I worked in significantly male-dominated industries and worked hard over many years to become a successful CFO.
For my own label, one challenge has been rethinking our target market.
The beauty of a couture gown is made to be worn proudly at an event or glamorous occasion, which of course is not possible to do right now.
When we decided to introduce our online art embroidery classes, it was a challenge as this has not been done before – certainly not to the calibre and degree offered by the academies in France.
I approached this as I would with any other project: breaking it down step-by-step and applying a considered and detail-oriented mindset to ensure that the quality is not lost by experiencing these classes digitally rather than in-person, and developing new ways to receive the human connection and support necessary.
More than anything else though, I believe you must strongly believe in yourself and your vision, even if it goes against the crowd, in order to be successful.
What else have you learned during this time?
We have found interest and excitement for the label in places we did not originally anticipate at the start of this year.
Whilst we have always known our clientele are passionate about the luxury and craftsmanship of haute couture, the response to the tangibility of the classes has been amazing.
The ability to adapt and meet both new challenges and new opportunities and not be too rigid with plans has been key to our vision this year.
It also helps that I am fortunate enough to work with incredible and smart people in my team, who have been open and willing to adapt to new ways of working to ensure we can continue to do what we love.
Something I have learned throughout my career is that it is rarely ever the destination which holds the joy of a particular project or chapter of your life.
The enjoyment lies in the journey – learning, challenging yourself, making changes and evolving.
I am no longer in a rush to arrive at the destination, I am simply enjoying what I do in each and every moment.