When I was in Paris this season I had the chance to visit one of my favourite designers Atelier, Carven & checked out the new collection! Gorgeous as expected, I also had the opportunity to interview Guillaume Henry, the designer that revamped Carven! Check out the coverage above from both times I visited Carven’s studio as well as an exclusive interview below. This season, Carven is inspired by Travels… The Carven woman takes her silhouette and takes herself on an imaginative journey where each exotic stop provides a new influence.

– How did your appointment at carven begin?
I once received a text message from the owner of carven (at that time) – when I was working at paule ka  saying “what do you think of carven?” – I answered “Great great great, but I’m not really into haute couture” but he then asked for an interview ‘rendez vous’. That is how it began, wasn’t planned at all!

– What made you become a designer?
No idea! I used to tell my parents I wanted to be a designer at age 9-10 years old and I did actually write to Christian Lacroix and sent my sketches to him when I was younger…

-who is the carven woman?
All my best friends! I don’t want to design for a movie star… I’m close to the women I like. I don’t want the brand to scare people, I want to design for every woman.

-Who would you like to see in Carven?
I adore Twilight’s Kristin Stewart, even though I haven’t actually seen the movie! I also adore Alexa Chung and I heard she is a great supporter of the brand… she’s cool, she’s normal. she doesn’t pretend to be someone else, I like that.

– What inspired you when designing this collection?
French elegance which is so international. I like the idea of a French girl sitting in a museum and thinking of different cultures and countries in elegance, which was a great inspiration whilst designing this collection.

-I love your price points. Is that important to you?
ofcourse it is! As I told you, My muse are my friends so I want it to be affordable

How do you relax and deal with stress?
I feel the pressure, but I know that every problem has a solution. I never get stressed but I need to connect with people around so I try to see my friends a lot and never stay in the studio past 9pm. Lots of coffee too!

Whats next for Guillaume and Carven?
My big project is hopefully the boutique in Paris! We are still looking for the right place and vibe. I would love to open in London someday!

For the Middle-Eastern fans, shop the collection at Harvey Nichols, Dubai & Aishti.