I often get emails asking me if there is any one place on the island that one can go to to buy authentically Mauritian designer brands. To my knowledge, there is only one: Designer Avenue Mauritius, nestled in the Mont Choisy Shopping Promenade in Grand Bay.
The brilliant thing about it is that it combines pret-a-porter with lingerie and accessories, a true 'one-stop shop' for Mauritian products if there ever was one. Aima Dora Lingerie, In'Am by llup, Hemisphere Sud, POSSAL by Sweetie Ramlagun are just a few of the popular brands housed under the Designer Avenue roof.
I interviewed Marie-Laure Harel, who had the genius idea of regrouping all these brands in one place. You may know her from her other boutique, Mademoiselle, which stocks gorgeous pieces sourced principally from South Africa.
What inspired you to open Mademoiselle, and later on Designer Avenue?
When I arrived in Mauritius I first started working in real estate for a year. I was then given the opportunity to start my own business, which I was excited about but I didn't know which kind of company I wanted to open. I've always loved fashion, and realised - this was six years ago - that there was a major gap here with regards to fashion boutiques. I remember having to constantly wear what I had bought from France, and that everyone was complaining that there was no boutique on the island that stocked really good quality clothing. I went to South Africa, and spent a month as an intern in my sister in law's shop, and gradually built up a designer contact list. I spoke to them about opening my own boutique, I wondered if they would be willing for me to stock their products, and they accepted.
Mademoiselle Boutique was born on the 5th of December 2008 in Pointe aux Cannoniers. Three years after its launch, I discovered a plethora of high quality Mauritian brands with talented designers at their helm. I started thinking of opening another store that had only Mauritian brands - it was important, as this was never done before.
In'Am by llup's new collection is stocked at Designer Avenue. Photographer: Kunal Jankee.
It took me two years to plan out the idea, and feel confident enough to open it. I did so on December the 6th, 2012. The most important thing for me is to make Designer Avenue a reference point for Mauritian brands. My goal is to represent the best of the talented designers we have here, and prove that there aren't only counterfeits! We have to support local brands!
How challenging is it, managing Designer Avenue?
My biggest challenge with Designer Avenue is for it to be la référence here for local brands. I would like to open a few more 'Designer Avenues' around the island in the future, and the icing on the cake would really be to form part of the local airport, it would give the brands so much more visibility.
Hémisphère Sud
For the moment my goal is to have as many good designers as possible present in my shop, whether in clothes or accessories. I currently stock POSSAL by Sweetie Ramlagun, Hemisphere Sud, Kanasuk, Kanakids, Aima Dora Lingerie, Lasya, In'am by llup, and De Fil en Fil.
A dress from POSSAL by Sweetie Ramlagun's summer collection, which you can find in Designer Avenue. Photographer: Karen Pang.
Do you find that people are interested in Mauritian products?
When I opened Designer Avenue the amount of interest generated was much bigger than that of Mademoiselle. People are surprised, interested, curious and most of all very keen about discovering local brands in one place. Designer Avenue helps new brands get the exposure they need - from my own experience, I think that it is not sufficient to organise private sales and the like, for they do not reflect the real potential of the product. I believe in showcasing the products in a permanent place. Basically, the Avenue helps brands show their products without them incurring the costs and responsibilities had they launched their own shop somewhere else.
What do tourists think?
Tourists are surprised! It's sometimes hard for them to believe that I stock only Mauritian brands, which is great for me because I pay a lot of attention in my selection of the brands to be showcased, they need to meet a certain benchmark in terms of style and quality. It makes me so happy to have tourists complimenting me on the brands and on the concept. As tourists come every year or two years, they can often recognise the brands they have bought from without knowing it was locally made, which comes as a pleasant surprise for them. Most tend to think that the quality of clothes in Mauritius aren't of good quality or are just outdated, and here I am proving the contrary!
I remember a couple of tourists who were in Mademoiselle Boutique and I asked them if they would like to have a little look around Designer Avenue. I explained the concept to them, and they replied: 'No thank you, we are not interested in counterfeit products!' I convinced them to come in and have a look, and they were so surprised, so happy, they bought lots of products to bring back home. Tourists are not necessarily looking for a T-shirt with 'Mauritius' printed on it. What they want is to bring an authentically Mauritian piece back with them, so they can say 'this is something I discovered during my holiday.'
xoxo
Alex
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email: stylemauritius@live.com
