Pauline Avinio Darris
Founder of DARRIS
The unique thing about the school: very good teachers, motivated and with the desire to teach us a lot of things. Competitions are also a strength in my opinion. The school offers a lot of them.
“Fashion Designer” Undergraduate Program
ESMOD Paris - class of 2012
What was your background before joining ESMOD? Did you always want to work in fashion?
Before Esmod, I was in Toulouse, studying for my baccalaureate. Esmod was my only goal.
Since I was very young, I dreamed of being a fashion designer. I spent my days designing dresses and accessories that would go well with them. I’ve never seen myself doing anything else … except cooking maybe! But I keep that for my friends.
Let's look back at your education at ESMOD: What kind of student were you? What are your best (or worst) memories?
Haha the kind of student I was… am I allowed to lie? A model student of course!
My hardest year was the second… spending sleepless nights sewing suit jackets and arriving in the morning and getting my muslin ripped by our teacher… what a bliss ! Luckily that year, I met my sidekick Clément Bergès, two people are always better than one!
My best memory was winning the contest for the Delage fashion house … I left the room after the contest was over. I ran around the ESMOD hall with tears in my eyes … it’s good to know that hard work pays off!
What makes ESMOD special, what do you think its strong points are?
ESMOD, I have a very good memory of it, even though we had a hard time! But it seems to me that it makes you stronger and that you realize what awaits you at the end!
The unique thing about the school: very good teachers, motivated and with the desire to teach us a lot of things. Competitions are also a strength in my opinion. The school offers a lot of them.
The good thing about ESMOD is that you can choose a specialization at the end of the year, I think that’s great. My last year allowed me to create a collection, not very wearable, but to realize what I really had in my heart. I thank Christine and François, my teachers, because without them it would have been impossible. They really tapped deep inside us to bring out the best in us.
Tell us about your career path after ESMOD, your duties and responsibilities…
After ESMOD, I joined CESAR STUDIO as an assistant fashion designer alongside Alain Miran. He immediately put me in the center of a lot of responsibilities, both on the creative and commercial side. It was a very enriching two years. That’s what really shaped and motivated me to found DARRIS.
Can you tell us a little bit about your brand DARRIS?
Darris, that’ s really the fulfillment of a dream. I’m a big fan of leather goods and I think there’s a lot to do right now. I really wanted to create an object of desire, as much by the look as by the color and softness. I hope with all my heart that it will work.
