The brains and workforce behind Quebec-based Furlux, Valery Geoffroy swears by the Canadian roots of her brand’s inspiration and the ideas behind her designs.
Geoffroy calls Montreal’s College Marie-Victorin her Alma Mater, which she attended in 1996. When asked about the beginning of this journey in the fashion industry, she fondly recalls how working in fashion was always her dream. As someone good at drawing since she was 9 years old, designing garments on paper wasn’t too tough for her.
Geoffroy started to make her own clothing as early as the age of 13. Back then, she used the old sewing machine her mom had from her dad. This hobby soon transformed into her passion as she started freestyle designing.
Every journey to success has its share of setbacks and hiccups. Geoffroy faced multiple challenges in her pursuit of fashion design including finding the right agency as a doorway to the boutiques that would sell her designs. This was a major reason why it took a while for her dream career to take off. Finding the right agency that resonated with her ideas was a challenge and being in Montreal while sharing fashions and work in Toronto was another challenge she talks about.
On being asked about her inspirations, she adds: “I have always had a love for coats. Coats have always been my passion. I also love textures and a mix of textures.”
Geoffroy’s Furlux also showcases her love for European trends and she admits to following fashion houses and going to Premier Vision a Paris event that brings together everything designers need to make their ready-to-wear, leather goods and footwear collections from design to manufacturing.
When asked about other fashion shows she participates in, Geoffroy lists Startup Fashion Week in Toronto, ILOE Show in Chicago, MODA (Coterie Fashion Events) in New York to name a few.
We asked Geoffroy how she would describe her style in one word. For Furlux she went with versatile. This is due to the company’s vision to do do a look that is urban-chic but caters to the busy working woman. So Furlux has designs and products that are reversible, hats that are two-in-one, etc. For her personal style, Geoffroy chooses to go urban.
Some of Geoffroy’s favourite designers include Moschino for the colour, vibrancy and pop, Rick Owens for his ability to think outside the box and Stella McCartney. On similar lines, we also asked her to name one person she would like to be her muse/model and she named Bella Hadid without a second thought, for her always fresh and natural look.
On her future plans for Furlux, Geoffroy says, “I want to be recognized as the go-to coat designer brand and hopefully, expand to Europe and the United States.”
As we prepared to sign off, Geoffroy gave 4 golden tips to share with the next generation of designers.
- Don’t try to go too fast. Each step is important and each failure is an opportunity to learn and grow.
- Know your clients. Who are you talking to and if you listen a lot they will help direct your design.
- Never get comfortable. The moment you think you got it, it slaps you in the back of the head.
- It’s important to make small mistakes when you’re small because it’s an easier fix.
You can follow Furlux on Facebook and Twitter @furlux and on Instagram as @furlux_canada.
