Fauré Le Page’s rebirth as maker of ‘weapons of seduction’
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One might think Augustin de Buffévent has his work cut out for him. After all, he’s transforming a centuries-old Parisian house whose heritage, of all things, is making (gasp!) weaponry, into a contemporary luxury leathergoods brand.But De Buffévent begs to differ. Fauré Le Page (pronounced fo-ray le pazh), the house he acquired in 2012 (after it had gone through several hands following the sale by the original owners in 1925), may have been a gunsmith for French royalty and nobility when it was founded in 1717, but it was also a maker of the leather accessories these weapons were carried in. In fact, Fauré Le Page’s owner and creative director points out, the house’s first customers were men who carried these leather contraptions.
A veteran in the luxury industry, De Buffévent is succeeding in bringing a nowness to an otherwise traditional house, thanks to his marketing savvy that references the house’s munitions past and emblems with humor and wit. Its slogan is “Armed to seduce.” Proof of this is its steady global expansion, including in the Philippines, where it formally opened its first boutique at Greenbelt 4, Makati City, yesterday.De Buffévent, with his deputy general manager Nicolas Fontenaist, sat down with Lifestyle to talk about what it’s like to have “freedom” to create “weapons of seduction.” (The following interview has been edited and condensed.)
What industry were you in before you acquired Fauré Le Page?I worked for 10 years for a large luxury group in Spain, England, the Middle East and the United States. After this, I wanted to be an entrepreneur and to revive a very old name in French history.What attracted you to the brand? It has a very interesting history, not one that you would instantly associate with luxury leathergoods.Its history is kind of unique. The store was next to the Palais Royal, the heart of French history. It was very Parisian, with a very Parisian chic spirit. They had been providing all the weapons for kings and queens. It was a very committed family, they were very inspiring and their story was different from the others. As gunsmiths, they had a novel approach. They did not make weapons for the army. It was only for the royals.
But leathergoods is totally related to armament. The first to carry bags were hunters and soldiers. If you go see the Garde Republicaine in Paris, they still carry bags. That’s the origin of the leathergoods.
Has it been a challenge to explain this to new customers?Really, no. In terms of philosophy, we took out the guns and we’re now selling only the bags.
You have kept the symbols, though, and the applications are very humorous—like the pistol-shaped pockets and mini bags and the gun barrel motifs in the magnetic locks.Love is a battle. If you don’t fight, you won’t get love. And if you don’t renew yourself constantly, you won’t be able to make your love last. This is very important, that’s why our motto is “Armed for seduction.”
You asked about this tree (pointing to the wood sculpture at the center of the Greenbelt boutique that’s in the shape of a tree). My work is to make a relationship between the past and the future. So you don’t see the roots, but I’m inspired by the roots of this house and this is what you see.
Please explain the scale motif that’s seen in the bags and the design details in the boutique.The scale comes from the armor. The first armor was an imitation of nature, you know, the scale that you find on snakes, on dragons, on mermaids, on both mythological and real animals. And it was one of the symbols on the most luxurious arms of Fauré Le Page. So we decided that that was the most important symbol for Fauré Le Page. We are the only brand with a rounded symbol, and it really evokes something—femininity and strength.
How do you explain Fauré Le Page to new customers?We go at our own pace. So we launch products only when we are happy with them. The Ladies First 24 Jacquard with the emblematic scale pattern has 21,000 stitches per square centimeter. It took us two years to create it. It’s an extremely long process. We have our own rhythm.
Where are your handbags made?We work with artisanal workshops in France, Italy and Spain. Each workshop specializes in a certain item. We control our manufacturing.
As you expand globally, you must have met many new customers. What are they curious about your brand?They are curious about all novelties, and all very well made items. They are very curious about the exclusivity and the originality that we provide at Fauré Le Page. We still have a niche strategy. And this is very important, since it’s a very old house.
As the creative director, how do you balance innovation and modernity with tradition?If you only look at the past, it’s better to just open a museum. And so my work with the team is to find this right balance between the archives and modernity. You have to renew yourself. Sometimes, we’d refer to the past, and for another collection, we’ll look at the future, but there is always this link.
I’m very interested in trees, that’s another passion. I read that the size, the height of the tree corresponds to the size of the roots. There is a balance. So if you cut your tree, the roots will also diminish in proportion to what you’ve cut.
So in terms of tradition, you have to bring also newness, even as we are very traditional in the way we manufacture leathergoods. It’s really playing with the codes and having fun.
How do you distinguish Fauré Le Page from other brands of the same category, especially since the market is very competitive, and with everyone always after the “It” bag?I’m not here to tell them what they should buy or not. We have a way of expressing the identity of Fauré Le Page and I hope that’s what the customers are looking for. To be honest, I don’t look at the competition. I think we have enough interesting things in our house. What we do is create some surprises, like a bag in the shape of a gun.
I’m unable to describe the Faure Le Page customer in terms of age or whatever, but it’s someone who’s looking for newness and exclusivity.
Do you also do bespoke pieces?Yes, but that’s not really the priority as we are very exclusive and we have small workshops. Obviously we have a huge demand but maybe we will go to that in the future.
Some of the luxury companies now also offer repair service for their leathergoods. Is that also a service Fauré Le Page offers?Yes, that is part of the tradition, a product must have solidity and must be long-lasting. Our bag called the Daily Battle, our customers still carry them after 10 years. That’s the best compliment.
What do you think is the advantage of being a small brand in a landscape where most of the famous leathergoods brands are owned by conglomerates?Freedom. You can only seduce when you’re free.
Fauré Le Page’s flagship style is the Daily Battle tote, which comes in several sizes and colors. —Photos from @faurelepage Instagram
