Can you remember when you first made a bag?

Clemence CAHU was a little girl when she made her first bag, a pencil case fashioned from the same PVC from her father’s inflatables factory that she uses today to make the CAHU line.

What is a childhood image of bags burnt into your mind?

An imitation leather shopping bag Renée, Clemence CAHU’s grandmother,a farmer, acquired on a market stall in Normandy in the 1950s. Sturdy, simple, but with a touch of flair in its design and colour, the bag was used byRenée for over 50 years and is the inspiration for the new CAHU MAMIE model

Can you tell me an iconic bag designer whose work you got very fascinated by? — What did you feel when looking at their designs?

Not (just) a bag designer: Martin Margella. Margella’s iconic and iconoclastic designs and use of materials and his approach to the whole process of conceiving, producing, and selling “fashion” and its role in the world are an important and continuing influence on CAHU.

Do you think the “male gaze" is a myth? 

No.

What was your first bag collection? 

Dame, fille, le Seau.

What do you love most about the fashion industry? 

Creativity, transformation, collaboration.

What do you hate most about the fashion industry? 

Over consumption, fear, cynicism.

If you would start out now what would you be doing, how would you go about // who would you work with and where would you be aiming? 

aids, mentoring

Statistics show that only 3 in 10 of the Top Womenswear Fashion Brands are designed by women. Is there just no more qualified female fashion designers out there?

Of course there are. Concerning, this, and so many other important questions we all have to find answers for, fashion has to continue to evolve.

One says it takes 10’000 hours to become a master of a craft, how long in hours/days/years did it take you to make a living?

Responsibilities to employees, suppliers and other collaborators mean that certain skills can and must be acquired. However CAHU believes that when it comes to creativity whether you have 10 or 10 000 hours of experience one should follow David Bowie’s advice and “Always Go a little further Into the water”.

Who is your female fashion designer icon and who is your the one to watch? 

Madame Gres‍

Who is your female bag designer icon and who is your the one to watch? 

Phoebe Philo

Who is your female fashion image maker icon and who is your the one to watch?

Suzanne Koller

What do you say about the charge that women’s fashion needs the male gaze to make it and portray it?

From conception through to marketing, as an artisanal producer of non binary bags and accessories, CAHU is aware of the part we all have to play in the evolution of the way we conceive and treat each other.

There is a big surge of feminism at the moment - do you think that will affect bag design? 

Yes.

What is your favorite piece in your collection?

pas un mais deux: Le Petit Pratique MAISON KITSUNE X CAHU beige et lePratique bi gout noir & marine

How important is teamwork?

Teamwork is an essential part of the CAHU philosophy. Everybody, from the designer to the producer to the model and last and most important of all the person who uses a CAHU participates in the brand’s creative process.

What was your relation to handbags prior to working in this industry? Has it changed?

Clemence CAHU had lots of bags she liked, but none she loved. She decided to create it herself.

What is the most valuable piece of advice you were ever given and what advice would you have wished for earlier on in your career?

Respond to interviews in the third person.

What is your next big project or goal for your career?

The development of the CAHU MAMIE. (See answer to question 2)