From light minimalist button-up shirts to intricately designed wedding gowns, this fashion house is turning heads for Yangonites tired of the same old t-shirts and blouses. Min Pyae Sone meets Charlotte Barjou, her brand and its founder.
Back in 2014, Charlotte decided to leave her hometown, Paris, to settle in Yangon with the dream of establishing her own brand and designs. The name itself is a brand of simplicity and comfort.
Starting from daily dresses to wedding gowns. Setting her own very first atelier in her own apartment, it then transformed into a fancy showroom in Sanchaung. Today Charlotte is thrilled to welcome you in her shop on Myay Nu street n.23. The atelier is also located there so you can see the backstage.
Having travelled across Myanmar, Charlotte had the chance to discover the outstanding local fabrics and know-how as well as the different traditional outfits of the country. After having done so, she fell in love with the country, the people, the beauty of the landscapes as well as the diversity of the regions – you could say this was one of the factors that made her stay.
During her travels, Charlotte conducted research on fabrics in the weaving villages of the different states. She was stunned by the creativity of the beautiful patterns made from just mere fabric. The incredible combinations of the colours, textiles, and patterns were so inspiring that she found a beautiful way to integrate local fabrics in modern designs.
Local production is key for the Charlotte Barjou brand. A wide part of textiles and fabrics used in her collections come from Myanmar – something Charlotte vouches for. The collections epitomize Charlotte’s adventure and a love story with Myanmar culture.
Her time in Paris was a bit of a contrast to Yangon’s more laid back atmosphere. In her recollection of the metropolitan city, she describes it as a very nice place to find inspirations, with the beauty of the Haussmannien architecture, the opera and theatres – the costumes were most fascinating to her, the classical concert at The Philharmonie, the people in the streets, the museums with regular art exhibitions with her favourites: Van Gogh and Giacometti. While these artists do not influence her work directly, they provide a certain zealousness and compactness to her personality which in turn defines her work.
Very sensitive to sustainability and women empowerment, she thanks an amazing woman whom she had learnt a lot from. “I think she really transmitted something onto me,” Charlotte said discussing the relationship with her teacher. This was her first introduction to fashion and making clothes and Charlotte is very grateful for this heritage. This lady has been a pattern maker at Chanel Haute Couture for 20 years and trained Charlotte on techniques, precision, beauty and the utmost importance of quality.
Charlotte can be studied at her website charlottebarjou.com or reachable at [email protected]
A fashion expert is coming to Yangon in November and Charlotte is organizing a pattern-making workshop for 1 week! From Monday 4th to Friday 8th of November.
You can register at this number: +95 9972993060.
