Ready for immediate boarding, destination Spain! This spring, French womenswear label Rouje is blending its signature Parisian chic with the typical Spanish charm of Paloma Picasso. Rouje’s Creative Director and French celebrity Jeanne Damas has designed the ‘Paloma’ collection as a vibrant tribute to the Franco-Spanish socialite. Damas herself will play the role of Paloma Picasso in the Becoming Karl Lagerfeld mini-series, which will be streamed on Disney+ in June. 

“For the ‘Paloma’ collection, I was greatly inspired by the style of Paloma Picasso, whose role I will play in the Becoming Karl Lagerfeld TV series,” said Rouje’s founder Damas, who attended the Atelier Blanche Salant theatre school in Paris after finishing secondary school. “As I was preparing for the role, I looked at countless period pictures and I realised that [Paloma’s] style in the 1970s has a lot in common with Rouje. It had a 1940s vibe, with extremely feminine dresses and plenty of bold colours, like red and black.”

Damas is tapping her public image and her fashion influencer connections to boost Rouje’s brand image. She has drawn her inspiration from the “self-assured femininity” of painter Pablo Picasso’s youngest daughter, and from the way in which Paloma accessorised her looks with “a touch of imagination.” For the Spring/Summer 2024, Damas has created a joyful, decidedly sensual wardrobe, blending different styles and periods with a twist of “Mediterranean flair.”

A cinematic collection with a Spanish touch 

The collection includes the Gabin wrap dress (one of Rouje’s signature items) in a jacquard polka dot version; the sculptural Laly dress, in pale pink guipure lace; a skirt and a pair of trousers with a red rose printed pattern; a delicately embroidered ecru top; a jet-black bodysuit with plunging neckline; and a leopard-print trench coat priced at €350, very much a nod to the trending mob wife aesthetic. Accessories-wise, the collection features black embroidered espadrilles, raffia basket totes, and crocheted pins in the shape of flowers (priced at €25).

The collection’s campaign was lensed in the streets and on the rooftops of Seville, the capital of Andalusia in southern Spain, steeped in the sound of flamenco. A highly cinematic photoshoot veering from chiaroscuro effects to saturated colours, with a focus on the feminine silhouette in true Pedro Almodóvar style. It also references the clothes Damas will wear in the forthcoming TV series, tracing the great German couturier’s rise to fame. The costumes look “almost like period items,” and were unearthed by costume designer Pascaline Chavanne and her team.

To play the role of socialite and jewellery designer Paloma Picasso, who created high jewellery for Tiffany & Co., Damas has looked to Paloma’s eclectic wardrobe, her independent woman attitude, and her life and career. “There was intense competition between the Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent clans, but Paloma Picasso was one of the few people who was close to both, and was able to circulate among them like a free electron,” said Damas.

Damas also heralded the launch of two capsule collections this year. One will feature a “basket tote in plaited leather made in collaboration with Belgian brand Dragon Diffusion, whose handcrafted handbags I have been using for years,” and the second is a “a small collection of beach accessories and t-shirts designed with British illustrator Fee Greening” to celebrate the summer weather.

On the retail front, the thriving French label, which opened two new stores in France last summer, is busy establishing itself overseas, with stores in London and New York, and is expanding in Asia, notably China, where it is planning to open a series of pop-up stores soon. Rouje is close-mouthed about its financial results, and has not provided details about its revenue or growth rate. In a funding round carried out in 2020, the label was valued at over €70 million.