Interviewed by Irina Malkova ROLAN HERLORIE, CHAPTER VILEBREQUIN, - THE EXTREMELY UNUSUAL HEAD. VISIONER, PHILOSOPHER, ROMANTIC, RUNNING SENBART TO ANTILIAN ISLAND AND MANAGING THE COMPANY LITERALLY FROM TROPICAL GARDENS ADJACING TO THE CARIBBEAN. Although, on the other hand, AND WHERE STILL DO THE HEAD OF THE MOST FASHIONABLE BATHROOM ACCESSORIES BRAND IN THE WORLD SHOULD LIVE?
Roland, perhaps today you embody a new kind of head of a large company. How do you manage to manage your international business while living away from everyone on a small island in the Caribbean?
Roland: Well, I must say that almost every month I still visit Europe - in Paris or Geneva, where I hold business meetings and meetings with various committees. This approach forces all parties to be organized and responsible and not waste time. And if I'm on an island, somewhere from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. (due to the time difference) I sit down on Skype and negotiate, give instructions, check reports, etc. Then I left to myself - I go swimming, sunbathing, reading or doing other things. Including testing shorts from the new Vilebrequin collections in suitable conditions for this. My house is just a two minute walk from the lagoon.
Why did you decide to move to Saint-Barth?
Roland: For personal reasons. At some point, it took me peace and quiet - the previous rhythm of life was so chaotic and chaotic that it was necessary to change something. For a long time I was the Commercial Director of Hermes in Latin America and almost 70% of my time traveled around the world. Then I realized that the best place for me to work is taxis, airplanes and airport lounges. I’m used to flying, and it’s just in the sky that I can think best of all, since no one is distracting.
Fred Pascal, who launched the Vilebrequin brand in the 70s, thanks to vivid prints, became the founder of the new fashion of the Cote d'Azur. How do you manage to maintain this continuity to this day?
Roland: I think Fred actually managed to look into the future, although he did not even suspect about it. Vilebrequin began with a love story. Fred was a journalist - while he covered car racing around the world. Once he fell in love with a beautiful girl from Saint-Tropez, and when you are in love - his whole life revolves around the subject of your passion, so it is not surprising that he moved closer to the chosen one to try to charm her. In the 70s in Saint-Tropez, tiny lycra bathing shorts were in fashion, about which Fred said: “With such a body as mine, you can’t wear these swimming trunks. I look awful in them and can not find the way to my beloved’s heart " And although he didn’t suspect about it then, it was he who invented the first modern bathing shorts. He invented them exclusively for himself, because he wanted to feel comfortable on the beach. He walked along the shore, and his friends liked the new bathing shorts, and requests fell upon him: do the same for me!
So the brand appeared?
Roland: Exactly! Fred turned to several familiar ladies from Saint-Tropez who knew how to sew, and asked if they could help him sew shorts of brightly colored fabrics that he brought from his trip to Africa. The number of orders grew like a snowball, and he offered his lover to sell shorts in her shop. It was time to come up with a brand name, and he settled on Vilebrequin.
And what does it really mean?
Roland: Even the French do not know the meaning of this word. The word is complex both in writing and in spoken language; let's be honest, it is absolutely impossible to say it out loud, and it doesn’t matter what language you speak!
In general, this is part of the engine, the crankshaft, and Fred believed that this part was the most important, because it was she who converted the movements of the cylinders into a driving force. He chose this word because he passionately loved cars.
What is Fred doing now?
Roland: Now he is retired, lives in the south of France with the same girl, his wife. In fact, in the 80s he sold his company - then it did not have the same weight as it is now, and was not known outside Saint-Tropez. The cult was made the company by its new owners.
But I often talk with Fred to get his spirit and understand how he felt when creating Vilebrequin.
How would you briefly describe the brand philosophy today?
Roland: For us it is important how people feel on the beach. Therefore, we pay a lot of attention to functionality and convenience. Our funny prints and bright colors are also important, of course, but, in my opinion, comfort is above all. You need to understand - for most men, being in their underpants is not so simple. Even if you do not get out of the gym and can boast of a perfect body, it is still a serious test, and in order to feel attractive, a suitable bathing suit is absolutely necessary.
When a man in bathing shorts feels comfortable - he is confident in himself. We can combine elegance and the game of imagination. You can wear bathing shorts with green penguins and pink elephants and still not look funny. Moreover - look stylish.
And how is the game of imagination embodied in the quality of your products?
Roland: We purchase polyamide fiber from Italy and ship it to Spain, where it is specially processed. The fabric is combed with special brushes to soften the fibers and give the material softness and velvety. Then prints are printed on top of the softened fiber - due to the movable texture of the fabric, this is an extremely difficult process, and if something goes wrong, the paint will simply spread out. There are only two workshops whose print quality we are satisfied with - one in Italy, the other in France.
After dyeing, the fabric is sent to Italy and Bulgaria, where finished products are sewn from it. The process is really long, but as a result, our fabric looks excellent - even in a wet, even in a dry state.
There are many companies that produce similar shorts. Why do you think Vilebrequin managed to outshine everyone else?
Roland: We at Vilebrequin often think about beauty and how you can create it. When you are dealing with the right vibrations, human values, honesty and purity of intent, this translates into your product. You can achieve something irrational that will affect the hearts of consumers. We are all guests on this Earth, just feathers worn by the wind, and all that we can leave behind is beauty. After all, beauty is also manifested through communication with people. I try to make happy at least the people who work in our company. This is one of my goals. And, of course, make our consumers happy.
