Meet Helena and Paul Pasquier | Co-founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paul Pasquier and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Helena and Paul Pasquier, what do you attribute your success to?
Paul: I believe that people are going away from mass production and disposable fashion (fast fashion) and are more looking for products that are responsibly made, in limited quantities using high quality materials. And that’s exactly what we are doing.

Helena: Make pieces that are different, which can also be quite hard to get established as a lot of people are mostly willing to follow trends. But our pieces always catch attention.

What was your thought process behind starting your own business?

Paul: Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, building a building has always seemed obvious. The idea has always been to create beautiful products in an environmentally responsible way. But also to be able to do something and love and that is in line with my values.

Helena: I was never able to find clothing that would resemble me, my lifestyle or the way I want to feel. I wanted to offer that to myself and others.

What’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?

Helena: There is no advice really that I would reject, but a few years back, when we started the brand, I heard a lot of doubts from people saying “are you sure, it’s really risky, a lot of people are trying to create brands, the chance of success are low….” Well I believe when you are truly animated by something, really passionate you should just go for it. The rest will unfold.

Risk taking: how do you think about risk, what role has taking risks played in your life/career?

Paul: I believe that it’s really hard to accomplish something important or even evolve in a career without taking risks. A few years ago I worked in retail for an Italian shoe brand in Paris. I had security but I wanted more. One day I was given the opportunity to work in the photo industry, I immediately left the shoe company without having any guarantee that this new opportunity would allow me to live. This was one of the best decisions of my life as a few months later I had an office job for a photo and video production company working with top luxury fashion brands. But of course the biggest risk is creating HELENA MAGDALENA without any investor, using only our savings. And it’s already starting to pay off!

Helena: To start your own business is a risk in itself. But I think to accomplish higher goals risks are an absolute necessity

We always invested our own money for projects etc to get the brand going and we have made mistakes, but it’s always worth it in the end, even if it’s just for the lesson you learn from it

What habits do you feel helped you succeed?

Paul: Taking risks has always helped me a lot but also being humble and not hesitating to ask for help when I don’t know, always trying to do my best in every situation, seizing opportunities when seeing them and not being afraid to work hard even without retribution at first.

Helena: I have never hesitated to work hard and give it all, even though the reward is not immediate. Wearing only Helena Magdalena, to represent the brand, that’s all I have in my closet. Not being afraid of being looked at or shy of saying I have made my outfit and talking about it.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Hello, I am the co-founder of HELENA MAGDALENA, with my sister Helena.

We created the company in NYC in 2019. We launched our first line in February 2020. But the idea was born a long time ago when we were teenagers.

This idea has always been the same, creating high-end garments and accessories with striking and timeless designs while having the lowest impact possible.

We create pieces locally, by hand, using only truly sustainable high-end materials. We don’t follow trends to keep our designs attractive over the years. We never favor ease or financial gain over the environment and people making our pieces.

Since we created the brand, we face challenges everyday, some are easier to overcome than others. What I think is important is to be resilient and accept that not everything always goes as initially planned.

Our story:

We are Helena and Paul, siblings, best friends and business partners.

Helena has always been passionate in garment design and making, she made her very first outfit at age 4 and never stopped since. It literally runs in her veins as our grandmother was a designer herself, who revolutionized lingerie in the 50s. Helena is a creative visionary, for her, each design is to be an object of her own desire before it can inspire others.

Since childhood Helena and I dreamed of running our own business together. But the concept of HELENA MAGDALENA was first born when we were 14 &16 yo.

Years later in 2019, I visited Helena who had moved to NYC. Encouraged by my sister’s irrepressible creativity and recognizing her genius in creating her own fabulous wardrobe, we decided to combine forces to create the brand together. I would support Helena’s vision with a rational counterpart to her freewheeling creativity.

What is the most important factor behind your success / the success of your brand?

Paul: I believe that people are going away from mass production and disposable fashion (fast fashion) and are more looking for products that are responsibly made, in limited quantities using high quality materials. And that’s exactly what we are doing.

Helena: Make pieces that are different, which can also be quite hard to get established as a lot of people are mostly willing to follow trends. But our pieces always catch attention.

What’s the most important lesson your business/career hreplmias taught you?

Paul: The importance of finding the right people to work with, of a good and clear communication at all times, never to assume anything

Helena: Never assume anything!!! Transparency!!! And clarity. Still learning 😉

Work life balance: how has your balance changed over time? How do you think about the balance?

Paul: Creating a business is definitely time consuming, especially at the beginning. Even if I am working most of the time, I always try to take some time for myself and stop thinking about it for a day, to clear my mind. I really think it helps being more productive and creative.

But I really love what I am doing, and work is part of life. In my opinion, balance is achieved when your work is also your passion.

Helena: I do something I love everyday, so grateful, but almost everything is about the brand in my life. I have found myself going on dates just because the person was potentially gonna be able to bring something I needed to my career.

How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Helena: Not an idea- just an obvious path for Paul and I since we are kids. My love for garment making (made my first outfit at age 4) and growing up in an environmentally friendly household. We always learned how to not or limit wastes.

Paul: Our family created the French brand Aubade that revolutionized lingerie in its time. Our grandfather was the CEO and our grandmother was the designer. I think this is why it has always been so obvious for us to create a clothing brand.

Why did you pursue an artistic or creative career?

Helena: I think when you are creative you have no other choice than to create.

What are you inspired by?

Paul:  I am inspired by businesses that are innovative, truly sustainable and successful.

Helena: I am inspired by the way I want to feel ex: the Warrior’s skirt (long skirt with two high slits) is a feminine, elegant garment but it allows me to run, dance freely or kick someone’s ass if I need to.

The spur, is a weapon and makes me feel safe

The low back pants is a result of me feeling insulted when men would put their hands on my lower back, it made me feel empowered, and I took ownership over this part of my body when I created it (never a man had put his hand on my lower back after that)

They are all just ways of communicating to myself and the world what I want and need in my life.

And I always experience myself a garment before we put it for sale, it allow me to know what changes to make so it’s feels good and obviously, esthetically pleasing

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We would like to dedicate our shoutout to our parents who raised us with love and transmitted to us their values but also to our grandparents who were our mentors and inspiring examples.

Website: https://helenamagdalena.com/

Instagram: @helenamagdalenadesign

Image Credits
Pascale Arnaud Martina Keenan