The ever-increasing digitalisation of society is profoundly transforming our buying habits and playing into the hands of fast-fashion players who leverage social networks and the full spectrum of new technologies to effectively reach consumers. How can we resist this phenomenon?

Timelessness. This is a value that brands seem to have forgotten at a time when fashion is going out of fashion ever faster, when collections follow one another at a frenetic pace, and when the train of trends is now faster than a high-speed train.

Yet timelessness is a formidable weapon. It allows a brand to think in terms of the long term, to build its collections over time, and to be part of consumers’ daily lives for a lifetime, sometimes even spanning several generations. It enables brands to hold their ground against the turbulence of the century, against new habits and societal changes, and to resist the panic and endless acceleration that has become the norm for the fashion industry. As digital technology has become an essential lever for seducing consumers, everything is moving faster, much faster, and sometimes much too fast for some brands.

And what if, in the current context, timelessness was the best way to reinvent fashion and resist the rise of fast fashion and ultra-fast fashion? That’s Carel’s challenge. Frédérique Picard, President of this family-run group, which has been in existence for over seventy years, explains.

How did Carel come into being? What is the history of your brand and who are your customers?

Carel was founded in 1952. Our first shop was on Boulevard Saint-Michel, a stone’s throw from the Sorbonne. Our creation was marked by the post-war period. Carel shoes were designed for emancipated women, with the perfect height and fit to enable them to trot around all day.

Carel’s strength lies in offering new, fun, innovative, and vibrant models, along with comfort. This innovation enabled us to be the first shoe brand to have a stand at Galeries Lafayette in the 1960s. Air France subsequently chose to outfit its flight attendants with Carel shoes, underlining our position as one of France’s iconic shoemakers.

What sets you apart from other brands?

Carel continues to stand out from more affordable competitors thanks to our iconic and highly desirable designs, as well as our renowned quality and fit. We’ve been working with the same workshops for 60 years, with 90% of our production in Italy and 10% in Spain and France for more specific products. Our values and know-how support us in a changing market. We’re moving towards an increasingly eco-responsible future, thanks in particular to our vegetable leathers.

Fast fashion has introduced a highly effective model: constantly renewing collections to meet all expectations, which also creates a constant buzz on social networks. Could this strategy inspire you?

Our collections are transformed based on our iconic models, and thanks to our archives, we can use dormant stocks to create more. This means our model is not a victim of the acceleration of the fashion world. Additionally, our shoes are designed to be worn for a lifetime and for every occasion. It’s this timelessness that gives them their strength and charm.

With the ultra-connected millennial and Gen Z generations set to represent between 65 and 70% of consumers by 2025, and a large proportion of their purchasing decisions being made on TikTok or Instagram, how are you establishing contact with these new customers?

Our Instagram account has now reached almost 160,000 followers, and our TikTok account is booming. These platforms allow us to show our customers the versatility of our models, inspire them, and pass on our values.

We are surrounded by ‘Carel girls’, our ambassadors, who evolve with the times. Whether they’re singers, influencers, or actresses, they promote our values from the red carpet in Cannes to the streets of Paris or a concert stage. Our most loyal fans include Clara Luciani, Alexa Chung, Lily-Rose Depp, and Isabelle Huppert. We’ve also appeared in Emily in Paris and the Bardot biopic, which has enabled us to attract new customers.

To keep our prices fair, we don’t engage in the kind of large-scale advertising schemes that big groups do. We don’t want to offer our customers a price inflated by marketing, but rather a fair price for designs created in Paris and handmade in Italy.

We also do a lot of collaborations, which allows us to diversify our range. For example, we have created sunglasses and bags with Jimmy Fairly. It also allows us to re-dress our iconic models, with Gucci Vault, and to assert our eco-responsible qualities, most recently with Imparfaite.

You recently launched the “Book Swap” initiative, which allows customers to exchange their favourite books when they make a purchase in-store. Is strengthening the ties that bind your community together and re-enchanting the shopping experience a way of adapting to the upheavals in the market?

It’s very important to stay in touch with our long-standing customers, but also with our new customers, as they are changing… Our core target is around 25 years old now. As well as being younger, they are international, which is why we have opened a new shop in Seoul. The “Livre échange” initiative came about quite naturally, as our history is linked to that of the Sorbonne. Our first shop was at the foot of the university, and our first customers were its teachers and students. We are an intellectual and eco-responsible brand, so this operation is the perfect mix for us.

What are Carel’s future projects? What are your ambitions for the coming years?

Our goal is to continue making Carel desirable by combining heritage and modernity while promoting our values of sustainability and circularity. We also aim to honour and continually develop our leather goods.