Fashion designer Valériane Venance wants you to see the beauty in pain

Valériane Venance may be one of the women reshaping fashion in 2025, but her brand is actually named in honour of a 300-year-old French courtesan. Émilie-Louise Delabigne, better known as Countess Valtesse de La Bigne, climbed the social ranks of 17th-century France, escaping poverty by becoming a sex worker, and later entering the world of acting. In her will she wrote that, despite societal judgement about her past, she was still “independent of heart” – the phrase that Venance borrowed for her own brand Indépendantes de Coeur.

Having originally studied as an artist in Strasbourg, and later moving to Paris to focus on fashion, there’s an historical thread that runs through the collections Venance creates for her brand. Previous seasons have been dedicated to ancient women who were labelled witches, while this season included a metal headpiece inspired by the crown worn by Renée Jeanne Falconetti in the classic silent film The Passion Of Joan Of Arc. Despite these historical leanings, Venances’s clothing feels made for the modern day, translating those bygone references into contemporary silhouettes. This season’s collection, Reparation, Resurrection, is an exploration of “the endless cycle of pain”, and though there are references to 1950s nursing uniforms and late 18th-century straitjackets, the whimsical styling and grungy fabrics bring the clothes straight into 2025, exactly where Venance belongs.

In the conversation below, we catch up with Venance about the new collection, her favourite fictional character, and where she would stage the next Indépendantes de Coeur catwalk show.

Hey Valériane. First of all, can you tell us about your background in fashion?

Valériane Venance: I’ve studied applied art in Strasbourg and moved to Paris to study womenswear at l’atelier Chardon Savard in Paris. I later moved to London, interned at a few brands and started working freelance with multiple stylists and brands before starting my own label. 

What was the inspiration behind your SS26 collection?

Valériane Venance: The collection is called Reparation, Resurrection and it’s an exploration of the endless cycle of pain – how you shield yourself along the way, the traces and damage left by battles, the tears repaired with silk so you can continue carrying an added piece of your own history. What doesn’t kill you doesn’t simply strengthen you, but it leaves a scar and a memory. The beauty lies in the rawness, in the grunge, in the women who mend others, the nurses’ uniforms from the 1950s and before. Beauty does not come after pain, but exists within it.

How would you describe your practice and what are you inspired by in general?

Valériane Venance: I like to think I’m of service to the people who wear my pieces. My focus is on storytelling – using clothing as a medium to communicate – but it’s just as important to me that it helps them feel like the strongest versions of themselves. More defined and defiant, confident and free. It’s also a quest for freedom – to liberate the female body from centuries of shame and imposed concerns.

Beauty does not come after pain, but exists within it

How do you think your hometown and upbringing shaped your outlook on fashion?

Valériane Venance: I grew up in the deep countryside of France, where there wasn’t much to do so imagination naturally became my playground. Alsace, with its mountains, castles, and medieval architecture, has always been a place filled with stories. We have one of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals and, believe it or not, little hearts are carved or engraved everywhere. On door handles, food, window shutters – images I’ve carried with me and, consciously or not, have tried to translate into the clothing I create.

Now for some quickfire questions… what’s a fashion holy grail you’re yet to get your hands on?

Valériane Venance: A Vivienne Westwood ‘CHAOS’ t-shirt from the late 70s, plus pieces from the 1981 Pirate collection.

Money is no object – where are you staging your next catwalk show?

Valériane Venance: Sacro Bosco di Bomarzo in Italy.

Which celebrity are you dying to dress and why?

Valériane Venance: Tilda Swinton – she’s the woman of my dreams. She holds such presence, character and sophistication. I was mesmerised when I watched Orlando for the first time. But there are also so many other wonderful women I would love to dress one day, like Erykah Badu, Susie Bick, Kristen Stewart and Chiaki Kuriyama who plays Gogo Yubari in Kill Bill. Oh, and seeing Willem Dafoe in a kilt would be a life achievement.

What is your earliest fashion memory?

Valériane Venance: Watching Edward Scissorhands.

What fictional character do you most relate to and why?

Valériane Venance: Orlando! Moving through time, identity, and gender with curiosity, but not being constrained by any of it. Orlando is constantly evolving yet remains deeply connected to an inner self, and I like to think that mirrors how I experience creativity and personal growth. And there isn’t one outfit from the film I wouldn’t wear.

Send the most recent picture/screenshot on your camera roll.

Valériane Venance: 

Time travel has been perfected – which famous fashion show are you beaming into the front row for?

Valériane Venance: So many! It’s hard to narrow down, but Comme des Garçons SS05 and AW05 are two wonderful collections. Also Martin Margiela’s 1990 runway, where the kids from the neighborhood participated in the show, and Alexander McQueen SS01 Voss.

What’s the most ran-through item in your wardrobe?

Valériane Venance: A black lamb skin leather jacket I made myself a few years ago.

What’s the soundtrack for your next show?

Valériane Venance: I can’t tell you about that yet, this is a secret until the day. But regarding the collection we just released, the soundtrack was designed and produced by Simon Parris and Scott Young’s two wonderful artists, largely inspired by 90s grunge, with an emphasis on the guitar riffs setting the tone.

Head here to shop the latest from Indépendantes de Coeur.