I Am Looking for Stories Worth Carrying Forward

On old patterns, personal memories and the inspirations that find their way into Adèle & Soleil

There are patterns I look at once and admire.

And then there are patterns I keep coming back to.

I have never really stopped to ask myself why some stay with me more than others.

Perhaps sometimes we recognise something that feels familiar long before we can explain why.

My own roots are in Northern Europe. I am part of a French-Estonian family, and perhaps that is one reason why certain old lace and knitting patterns have always felt so familiar to me.

But inspiration is only the beginning.

It is here, in the colours, light and everyday life of Southwest France, that these influences become part of the world of Adèle & Soleil.

Something strong and something delicate

There is a contrast in lace knitting that I love.

Wool can be warm, practical and protective.

And yet, in someone’s hands, it can become extraordinarily delicate.

Light passes through the pattern. Skin or another colour appears beneath it. The knit changes with the person wearing it.

There is strength and delicacy at the same time.

Order and a little imperfection.

History and the possibility of creating something new.

Perhaps that is what I am looking for when I design.

Not perfection.

Something with character.

Why knitwear sits at the heart of Adèle & Soleil

Under a different light

There are things about Southwest France that still delight me, however many times I see them.

In January, I begin waiting for the mimosa.

The scent really is so special - a little sweet and a little crisp.

And then there is that exuberant sun-yellow colour which, for me, already feels like the first glimpse of spring peeking from behind the clouds.

And the pine trees.

The maritime pines here have extraordinarily long needles. It is one of those small differences I noticed almost immediately, because in the North I was used to pine needles being so much shorter.

They may seem like little things.

But these are exactly the details that stay with me.

A colour. A scent. A particular light. Something noticed on a walk and remembered later.

Perhaps that is how inspiration often works.

Something from one place meets something from another.

An old lace pattern finds itself in a new colour.

A familiar structure changes under the Atlantic light.

Sky blue. Soft pink. Natural white.

A traditional pattern meets a feminine silhouette, soft mohair or a small hand-finished detail.

And somewhere in that meeting, it begins to feel like Adèle & Soleil.

When two times meet

I am interested in bringing two times together.

I love the idea that an old pattern or craft technique can find its way into the present while keeping the lightest touch of its history.

Sometimes it begins with the rhythm of a lace surface.

A single motif.

The way light falls through a knit.

From there can come a new colour, material or silhouette.

I love being able to wear knitwear almost anywhere myself.

For morning coffee. A walk. By the sea. Travelling. Promenading through Bordeaux. With old favourite jeans or a beautiful dress.

And those are the kinds of knits I want to create.

I love it when simplicity, warmth, practicality and the lightest touch of history all come together.

A knit can carry a story and still belong completely to the life we live today.

There are still so many stories

My own memories and roots may explain why certain patterns feel familiar to me.

But I do not want inspiration to have borders.

There are beautiful craft and textile traditions all over the world that I would still love to discover.

Japan is one of the places whose aesthetics and craftsmanship have fascinated me for a long time.

Others may still be waiting somewhere I have not yet thought to look.

I love the idea that a future collection might begin with a detail noticed on a journey, an old technique, a beautiful pattern or a craft tradition whose story deserves to be understood.

First, to listen to its story.

To understand where it comes from.

And then to see whether it sparks something new.

I do not yet know which of these stories will find their way into future collections.

And I like not knowing.

Because part of creating is searching.

Opening an old book.

Noticing something while travelling.

Discovering a craft you have never seen before.

Finding a pattern you want to return to the following day.

Some will remain beautiful memories.

One of them may, one day, become a knit.

Perhaps this is what Adèle & Soleil will always be for me: stories gathered from different places, brought together here, under the light of Southwest France.

I am not only looking for ideas for the next collection.

I am looking for stories worth carrying forward.

And there are still so many to discover.

 

Toujours le Soleil☀️

Pillé Lauring Labruyère
Co-Founder, Designer & Creative Director of Adèle & Soleil