For her last project in her senior year of design school, 23-year-old French designer Coralie Nyango, created Galerie Emprise as a denouncement of the pressures from Instagram on young women. She was making clothing that was about art rather than consumption, something she sees as oppressive at times. Initially, the project bore the name “Emprise,” which translates to “hold” or “control” in French. She added “Gallerie” to further drive that her brand is about the artistry and exhibition of fashion.
Gallerie Emprise’s ethos has grown into “the search for the uniqueness and individuality of style with the mission of dismantling the ideals received on fashion.” Nyango wants her brand to be a safe and open space for those who love to express themselves through the clothing they wear. She’s naturally inspired by Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons. “What I love about her is that she is considered a fashion icon but she does not feel concerned about fashion or the needs of fashion. What interests her is to give shapes never seen before to clothes. I feel a bit like her.”
In her own work, Nyango likes to tell stories. Her “Ruffles” collection, which includes her latest hero product, the “Jort Ruffles” shorts is about the way her generation is so full of ambitions for projects that they can never manage to accomplish that they pile on to each other and drag permanently onto them. “I know that there are many people who live this and who feel concerned and it makes me feel good to tell stories through the clothing support, it’s a bit like therapy.”
Nyango makes each of her pieces by hand with her sewing machine. She’s currently a one woman show and enjoys it that way. It gives her the space to create what she wants, when she wants with no constraints. This is what she hopes to continue to do in the future. She just wants to pursue building a community through actual physical galleries eventually with her clothing as the art. This brand right now is her comfort zone and Nyango wants to keep it that way.
