Alexis Mabille:Meet My Teen Couture Clients

ALEXIS MABILLE says that the age of clients buying couture is becoming increasingly younger.As one of the youngest designers creating couture (he is just 35), he is in a good position to cater to their needs.

"We have girls as young as 12 as couture clients," Mabille told us."Buying couture is sometimes in-built within the culture of a family - the grandmother will introduce the mother to it, then she will pass the couture message down to her daughter.I was in a fitting recently and a mother bought a prom dress for her daughter there and then.The market has evolved."

Mabille - who has been showing couture since 2008 - will present his next couture collection today in Paris and he hopes to impress both his older and younger customers alike.He describes the category as "the ultimate treat, something that will make you feel better".

"We're not old-fashioned, we're not solely about intricate embroidery," he said."We are younger.We can do slim pants in a stretch and then add lace and detailed finishes.Our customers want to be different - they want to express their personalities, be comfortable, but still look extraordinary at a party.It's like buying a piece of jewellery or art.There is a lot to consider."

Mabille first started sewing when he was eight ("I don't know why, my parents just left me to it"), and by the time he was a teenager was designing clothes for his family and friends.He completed a three-year course at Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne in Paris and went on to work at Dior - where a chance encounter with John Galliano helped him to move from the licensing department to design.

"I bumped into him in the corridor," he recalled."He liked my trousers.We got on really well and before I knew it I had been working there for 10 years.He's a very shy man, but if he's confident about you, then you're free to do whatever you want.There is so much money there."

From Dior, Mabille went on to complete brief stints working at Yves Saint Laurent and Lancôme - before deciding to develop his own line.He runs a ready-to-wear label, as well as couture.

"Everyone wants to be Raf Simons at the moment, but it's better to be yourself," he said."I like being my own boss.If you start listening to everyone, you become an anyone."

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