Bégum : the story
In 1990, thanks to the impetus of a couple of patrons and the know-how of a former craftsman from Harel, a workshop was created in Fougères to produce high quality shoes. The small town not far from Rennes (Ille et Vilaine) is one of the last historical shoe manufacturing areas in France and there are still experienced workers, cutters, fitters, stitchers... The Delage workshop then employs about forty people, in the style of haute couture, to make shoes, piece by piece, often to measure. A large part of its production is devoted to the manufacture of models ordered by haute couture houses, such as the famous Chanel pumps.
In Paris, two designers joined forces to define the Delage style: Primerose Bordier, the high priestess of color, and Barbara Wirth, a renowned decorator. The first boutique opened on rue de Mézières, near the Luxembourg gardens, for a demanding and sophisticated clientele.
In April 2003, the small Breton factory restructured and set up its new workshop in La Bazouge-du-Désert, with a few passionate craftsmen who were attached to their trade. The workshop then manufactures for brands such as René Mancini or Christian Louboutin...
For more than 20 years, the Delage boutique has found a new setting in the gardens of the Palais-Royal in Paris. This rare place, a historical monument, welcomes demanding customers from all over the world. It is here that each of them can have their favorite model made in an almost infinite palette of colors and materials.
Bégum Paris: A story of love and heritage...
2013: the family business is closely watched by a German investor... but the new generation is tempted by the adventure. Héloïse, who learned elegance from her mother, wants to take over. She has always followed the ups and downs of the company, visited the workshops, helped in the store and worn Delage shoes. It was only natural that she suggested to her cousin Sarah to join the adventure. Sarah, the daughter of an architect and a fashion journalist, is a graphic artist and designer. Together, they plunged into the house's archives and designed an inventive line, in the Delage spirit, but more accessible to elegant women who browse the Internet to enrich their wardrobe.
A line now sold in the two Parisian shops and also on www.begum-paris.com.
Why Bégum?
A link between Héloïse and Sarah: Bégum, their grandmother, so named by her grandchildren in parallel to Aga, her husband, who took his name from the stammering of her first grandchild... Bégum, an anti-conventional artist, who painted her floors turquoise, and had the same clothes made to measure for her granddaughters and their dolls. Bégum, a tireless traveler, an outstanding gardener and a terrible cook, creative and enthusiastic: a model of avant-garde elegance to which Héloïse and Sarah wanted to pay tribute.
The Bégum style
With Bégum, the designers revisit the great Delage classics, imagining small series that are more daring in their shape or color mix. Shoes designed for active life, with heel heights that allow you to climb up and down the streets of Paris, London or New York!