Vancouver Fashion Week FW27 interview w/ Fashion Designer Myriam Jean-Louis of MJL

MLJ will be showing their latest collection on the runway at Vancouver Fashion Week SS27 on Friday, Oct. 16th. Tix purchase HERE!

Bio -

There are designers who follow fashion, and there are those who invent a new category. Myriam Jean-Louis belongs to the second group: she places Bakoua, a vernacular material of Caribbean basketry, at the heart of her creative vocabulary.

Born in Guadeloupe and raised between Martinique and Paris, she grew up in contact with major fashion houses, Printemps, Galeries Lafayette, and the bridal gown ateliers of the Parisian show-business world. The last protégée of Monsieur Antoine Nisas, the first Black couturier admitted to the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, she established her MJL label in Strasbourg in the late 1980s.

In 1993, she presented a collection at Espace Cardin under the guidance of Monsieur Pierre Cardin in Paris. In 2000, she established a factory and a luxury boutique in Tunisia, before returning to settle in Martinique in 2005. Since then, she has pursued the same mission: to gain recognition for Caribbean Haute Couture alongside European and African fashion, and to give Bakoua, coconut cloth, and calabash the status of noble materials in Haute Couture.

Interview -

Tell us a little about your background and what led you to make fashion design your profession.

I was born in Guadeloupe and grew up between Martinique and Paris. From a very young age, I was surrounded by the major fashion houses: Printemps, Galeries Lafayette, and the bridal gown workshops in the Parisian show business district. I first observed fashion closely, then I experienced it firsthand.

I presented my first collection in Strasbourg in 1986. It was called "Bo Kay," with a tropical garden theme, and it was entirely hand-painted. Afterwards, I held a fashion show at Espace Cardin, under the patronage of Pierre Cardin. In 1993, I won the Best Young Fashion Designer competition sponsored by Paco Rabanne. I opened a showroom and then an MJL boutique in Strasbourg. Later, I established a garment factory and a luxury boutique in Hammamet, Tunisia.

In 2005, I returned to put down roots in Martinique. One day, someone told me, "We know European fashion, we know African fashion. But not Caribbean fashion." That sentence became my mission. It's what drove me to create the Afro-Caribbean Fashion Association and the AFRO.K competition. Since 2018, it has also guided my work with Bakoua.

How did you acquire your skills?

I learned in the workshops, through hands-on experience. I was fortunate enough to train alongside Monsieur Antoine Nisas, the first Black couturier admitted to the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. He instilled in me a commitment to meticulous cutting, finishing, and high-quality workmanship. The rest I developed through experimentation, especially with fabrics. No one taught me how to transform Bakoua into a couture textile; I had to invent that expertise myself.

How would you define yourself as a designer? Your aesthetic? Your clientele? Your brand identity?

I define myself as a Caribbean Haute Couture designer. My idea is simple: our materials have their place alongside silk or velvet. Bakoua, coconut canvas, and banana leaves have long been relegated to the realm of crafts. I transform them into noble materials.

My aesthetic combines Martinican craftsmanship, such as basketry and weaving, with a touch of fine jewelry, using Swarovski crystals. I create unique pieces and complete sets, with matching accessories and jewelry.

MJL is a recognizable signature in its cuts, shapes, and colors. It's entirely handmade, from raw fiber to finished piece, and has a strong message: to assert a distinct Caribbean fashion identity.

What comes most naturally to you? What is most difficult?

What comes most naturally to me is the dialogue with the material. I look at a fiber and I already see a silhouette.

The most difficult part is the time. I hand-dye all my white and silver pieces, strap by strap. It's the longest and most delicate step. But it's also this time that gives the piece its value. The other difficulty is recognition. It's still necessary to convince people that Caribbean fashion has its place in international Haute Couture.

Where do you find your inspiration? What role does color play?

I draw my inspiration from our roots: our traditions, our gestures, our women, our rhythms. Martinique is an inexhaustible source.

Color always originates from the material. I work with the natural palette of Bakoua: the tanned fiber, then hand-dyed. White, gold, and silver require the most work, since each strip is dyed individually. For me, color isn't simply applied to the garment. It arises from the fiber itself.

Readers would love to hear a little about the collection you will present at Vancouver Fashion Week SS27.

The collection is called "Back to Our Roots." It's a return to our foundations. It revisits the figure of the "tété-négresse," the Caribbean nurturing woman. The bustier silhouettes symbolize femininity and the power of nurturing.

You'll also hear the bèlè and the drum, our traditions of dance and rhythm. As for materials, Bakoua is of course featured. I'm also presenting a new technique: a starched fabric that takes on the appearance of parchment. It's a story told through fabric, from raw fiber to exceptional piece.

It is also a historic moment, as it is the first time a designer from Martinique has shown at Vancouver Fashion Week.

Do you have a favorite outfit from this collection?

If I had to choose just one, it would be the strapless silhouette in white and silver Bakoua, "the bride" »

Where can readers purchase your creations?

Ready to wear can be purchased on the website in the MJL shop.  You can also reach out to me through any of the links before for more information, or for custom orders

What are your plans for the future?

My goal remains the same: to have Caribbean couture recognized by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Vancouver is a step, not an end. I want to continue exploring new textures, from weaving and braiding to banana leaves. I also want to showcase Martinique on other international runways.

A documentary is currently being filmed about this adventure, produced by Kairochi Netwo

Links -

• Website - www.myriamjeanlouis.com
• Instagram - @myriamjeanlouisofficiel
• Facebook -www.facebook.com/styliste972/
• WhatsApp - +596 696 01 77 64
• Behance - www.behance.net/myriamjeanlouis-mjl
• LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/myriam-jean-louis-117a961b3/