An interview with Alexandra Senes

"I was stubborn and I was young, and I don't know why but I was not afraid of being fired, but maybe in my gut I knew that I was able to do another kind of magazine".

Former fashion editor turned designer, Alexandra Senes is refreshingly direct. When asked about the travel industry, Alexandra described its outdatedness and tackiness. Describing the recent opening of a new luxury hotel in Paris, she complains about the staffs’ opaque tights, their three-centimetre-high heeled shoes, and their old-fashioned attire, “the women looked ugly”. She attributes this to the famous Schools for Catering and Tourism located around Lausanne, who continue to prescribe an outdated tacky model of tourism.

Starting her career as a journalist, it was not long before Alexandra was appointed editor in chief of Jalousemagazine in Paris. After 8 years working at the helm of the magazine, Alexandra achieved an impressive portfolio of accomplishments; working with Hermès on a radio program in Japan called ‘Air de Paris’in 2006, creating a communications agency bridging the art and fashion world called SAS(Société d’Alexandra Senes)in 2007, publishing a book about Paris in 2013 called ‘Le Paris de tout Paris’,and attempting to launch a French Harper’s Bazaarbefore they pulled the plug a year later.She started her own fashion label, Kilometre.Paris, four years ago, and is now fully committed to the success of her company.

Since Alexandra is based in Paris and consumed by Paris Fashion week, I meet Alexandra over a video call. She is dressed timelessly, wearing a simple white shirt. Her open and positive demeanour immediately shine through her smile. Her past as a successful journalist quickly becomes apparent; she reminds me to check whether my recorder is on and working, and if I have questions prepared for the interview. She welcomes me to her home as if I were an old friend and gives me a tour of her spacious Parisian apartment. Fresh flowers are on the table, a beautiful piece of artwork is hanging on the wall, the salon is void of any cluster. This seemingly perfect façade is the ideal antidote to the chaos and bustle of Paris Fashion Week. Having come straight from the kitchen, her blonde hair is slightly ruffled an unruly. Rather than running around Paris, attempting to attend as many fashion events time can permit, Alexandra is knee-deep in the kitchen preparing to host 30 guests that evening to celebrate the book launch of ‘Super F**king Lucky’ by Lucien Pellat-Finet. With the food preparations having already started three days ago, it goes without saying she is preparing a feast.

She began her career as an intern at ELLE magazine, but quickly discovered that it was not what she expected. Her boss asked her to write articles about sex and horoscopes. These somewhat frivolous articles did not satisfy Alexandra’s determination to shake up the fashion industry.But she stood ger ground and rebelled against her boss' wishes, and after fierce arguments and enormous levels of stress spanning the course of a yhear, Alexandra got her way. “I was stubborn, and I was young, and I don’t know why but I was not afraid of being fired, maybe in my gut I knew I was able to do another kind of magazine”. This determination has stood her in good stead.

From 1998 until 2006 she was the editor in chief of Jalouse, a French fashion magazine often compared to a French Dazed and Confused. Working with Jalousegave her greater creative freedom and allowed her to explore the unconventional and rebel against the traditional. The magazine was a pioneer in bridging gaps between different forms of media. She brought together a fashion designer and a chef, a sociologist and a creative director, for the purpose of creating an original, unusual issue. Alexandra proudly recalled having invited Christian Lacroix and a leading sociologist together for one of the magazine’s issues. A life-long relationship blossomed over a mutual respect for each other’s trade. Rather than focusing explicitly on the Paris fashion scene, the magazine made a point of introducing international designers, artists and environments. This determination to include references from around the world is mostly an homage to Alexandra’s international upbringing; born in Dakar, raised in New York, and arriving in Paris at 17. Alexandra regrets the U-turn the magazine has taken since her departure with the new editor in chief, Jennifer Eymere, honing in on the boundaries of the magazine, and centring its focus around Paris, “she is too microcosme, she is always the same”.

The same determination that enabled her to get where she is now, can come across as brutally honest, and bordering on rude and politically incorrect. When asked about gender inequalities and prejudices within the fashion and journalism industry, Alexandra Senes highlights the growing prevalence of Gayttos. She is referring to the dominance of gay men in the fashion industry who form a tight-knot community and occupy influencial positions. According to Alexandra, these “cosmic families” are making it more challenging for individuals to break into the circle and create a career for themselves in the fashion industry. To do so, one has to “force” through and be fun and exciting.

Alexandra has always been someone to distance herself from the crowds. She has been able to create a voice for herself in the fiercely competitive environment of fashion by remaining true to her values and judgments. As she recalled, at 18 years old, after having styled a pair of shoes a specific way, suddenly everyone around her started to do the same. A self-defined “trend-setter”, it is no wonder she is a highly respected figure within the Parisian Fashion scene.

Her talent to recognise a future trend is testimony to the success of her label Kilometre.Paris. The company is more than just a clothing brand, but rather ‘une marque qui brode le voyage’– a brand that embroiders travel. After having come across a huge stock of linen shirts at a flea market, Alexandra decided to buy the whole stock and embark on her venture. Combining her love of travel and fashion, she created what is now known as Kilometre.Paris. Each shirt is embroidered with the GPS coordinates and a distinct feature of a beautiful location unspoilt by mass tourism. For example, Niseko, a picturesque ski resort in Japan, has been represented by clusters of green foliage on the crisp white backdrop of a shirt.

Sustainability is a hot topic in fashion at the moment with brands such as Hugo Boss, Stella McCartney and Adidas all looking to reduce their carbon-footprint and polluting emissions without compromising on the quality and durability of their materials. Alexandra Senes is no exception to the trend. Kilometre.Paris hires local artisanal craftsman in Mexico, India, and Morocco, using their expertise to embroider intricate patterns on the shirts. She has even devised a way to get around the air mileage of transporting her products back to Paris, by asking friends who happen to be in Mexico, for instance, to fill their suitcases with her garments and bring them back to Paris. Rather than mass-producing a large quantity of shirts using unsustainable practices and materials, Kilometre.Paris places a special emphasis on “upcycling”, so using vintage, pre-used garments and infusing them with a new life and character through the embroidery of intricate images and patterns.

Yet, the dominant opinion within the fashion industry still seems to place a greater emphasis on profitability and extravagance, rather than sustainability and wellbeing. The most oblivious example is Chanel under the direction of Karl Lagerfeld, who insisted on orchestrating the most spectacularly ludicrous fashion shows, going as far as creating a proportionate replica of the Eiffel Tower in the Grand Palais for a 20-minute catwalk. During the 2015 Dubai fashion show, Chanel is estimated to have spent a colossal $1.7 million to build an egg-shaped box in ode to the country’s ancient pearl diving industry. Alexandra made a point of contacting Chanel to suggest donating the required funds to build the replica of the Eiffel Tower to a charity rather than to go ahead with the project. Their response was far from conciliatory, highlighting Karl’s old age and his disbelief in climate change, the extravagant show went on as planned. The interview with Alexandra took place just weeks after news of Lagerfeld’s passing, and the last show under his direction took place days later. Journalists were keen to emphasise the genius of his work and his ground-breaking attitude towards women’s fashion, whilst models walked down the catwalks in tears. Contrary to the overarching sentiment surrounding Karl Lagerfeld’s death, Alexandra Senes believes there is hope for Chanel and for the fashion industry as a whole to move towards more sustainable practices. If this power house of fashion and culture changes ethos under the direction of the new creative director, Virginie V­­iard, it is likely other brands will follow suit and improve industry standards from a holistic perspective.

Having experienced first-hand the pressures and expectations of the fashion industry, Alexandra is all too aware of its dangerous repercussions on the designer and the brand. It is increasingly common for fashion houses to surpass the traditional two seasons per year and produce up to 7 collections per year. This imposes an unsurmountable pressure on the designers, who are expected to churn out a limitless supply of creativity. John Galliano is a classic example of a creative director gone rogue. Although it is important to not minimise the extent to which his words were harmful and racist, it is likely, a sizeable contribution to this drunken outburst was related to the extreme amount of pressure he was subject to. As Alexandra Senes highlights “he was taking too many drugs because this world is too crazy”. The main priority of a fashion house is financial prosperity, “the maisonwas not even considering the fact that it was not going well”. Tragically, Alexander McQueen is another example depicting the fashion industry as heartless and profit-driven. Despite fighting resistance from potential backers, Alexandra decided to stick to Kilometre.Paris’s ethos and create shirts and items of clothing that remain first and foremost an exploration of travel in relation to fashion, rather than churning out an endless supply of clothing reflecting seasonal fashion calendar.

Speaking with Alexandra was inspiring yet confusing due to her refusal to accept any notion of time; “I don’t speak of date, it is my coquetterie, I don’t like time”. As she has repeatedly stated in numerous prior interviews, the only significant date in her life that enables any form of chronology is the birth of her daughter, Mila, some twenty-one years ago. This metaphorical rejection of time reflects Alexandra’s desire to be in a position outside of her comfort zone, her primary source of inspiration comes from “being déplacée”. Whether this means displaced physically, being away from the confines of Paris, or psychologically, being immersed in another culture and mindset, Alexandra finds solace in the unknown and the unquantifiable.

As I prepare to end the interview, Alexandra Senes offers advice for any aspiring journalist, which boils down to “you don’t need to make believe”. After this conversation, I can safely say Alexandra has stuck to this advice over the course of her life. Her determination to stay true to her beliefs is a direct reflection of her varied and fruitful career. Had she not refused to succumb to her boss’s requests as an intern at ELLE, it is likely Alexandra would not have become the remarkable individual she is today.