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Charles Guislain, 16Charles fell in love with fashion aged 13 when he saw the braces Hedi Slimane included in the Dior menswear for SS07, and within a week he had started drawing his own creations. This spring he became something of a sensation in Paris Fashion Week, where his distinctive presence at the shows turned the heads of the older generation.


Charles wears feather dress by Alexander McQueen; diamond and gold Chandra necklace by Cartier; Georgian yellow-gold open-sphere necklace by Bentley & Skinner; all other jewellery Charles own

Have you always lived in Paris? Which district do you live in?
I’ve always lived in Paris and more precisely in the south of the 16th arrondisement. It’s a perfect district for a ‘square’ life: it’s safe, there are many gardens where children can play, and when I was younger I found it simple and quiet, which was perfect for me.

When did you first get into fashion? Was there a particular moment that made you realize, this is something I love?
I fell in love with fashion the last week of June in 2006 when I saw the suspenders from Dior Homme by Hedi Slimane. I was 13. When I think about that I can’t stop smiling because they were my first door into fashion, something very thin and minimal. Since then, my knowledge of the industry hasn’t stopped growing. I started to draw a week later, but only womenswear and I knew I wanted to get involved in the creation of clothes and be able to share my vision of garments and human body. My first drawing was very ugly because when I was a child I didn’t draw – I played football and tennis – but I’ve continued, my technique has improved and my creations have begun to become more personal.

Do you come from a family that is interested in fashion? Have they encouraged you?
My family isn’t particularly interested in fashion but they have never curbed me and, even if they were skeptical about my vocation early on, little by little they have put themselves behind my projects.

When did you start attending the shows?
My first show was the first Gareth Pugh’s show in Paris last September. I went to it alone. However, I started to discover other people who share the same passion during Fashion Week this March. They became my friends, and even more, they became a support, and a motivation to create. Doing the shoot for LOVE is in part thanks to the street photographers in front of the fashion shows like Tommy Ton from Jak & Jil. I’m not in any agency and I don’t want to be - I don’t want to be categorised like a model, I wish to be in the creative up-stream.

Which designers interest you most?
From the past: Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and Hedi Slimane – they revolutionised the way people dressed during different periods. From the present: Miuccia Prada for her capacity to suggest an absolute idea and story for women and men each season; Alber Elbaz for his extraordinary tribute to femininity; and Nicolas Ghesquière because he knows how to create something in the right moment. For the future: Gareth Pugh, because he’s one of the most talented of his generation and he could become a really famous designer – his next show will be very important for him; Rad Hourani because of his radical aesthetic; Hedi Slimane because he hasn’t finished exhausting his imagination. For all the three: Azzedine Alaïa – ‘It’s not fashion, it’s style’

What do you wear to school?
I go to a religious school where you have to wear a top with a collar, simple pants and leather shoes. I wear this outfit but they find my pants too slim, my low-cut Dr Martens too different and my silhouette too dark.

Do you have friends at school who love fashion as much as you do?
At school, nobody knows my love for fashion and I know nobody who loves fashion.

What’s your fashion tip for next season?
In my opinion, for the next season, I want to wear and see something very long, fluid and light. But it’s only my opinion…

What advantages do you think being young gives you in the world of fashion?
Youth is very different depending on the people. My youth is an advantage in some ways, because I have a figure of a child and I’m very thin. The latter unsettles many people on the blogs but it’s a non-subject: I feel happy, people who are acquainted with me know I’m full of energy and proud to be what I am. When you’re young and underage and you take part in the fashion world, you’re a model. For this issue of LOVE, I play the role of model but I think it’s a spring-board for another career.

Who’s your hero?
My hero is the human body.

Complete this sentence: in 10 years’ time I shall be…
Able to tell my own stories through my creations. I hope there will be a public to hear them.

http://www.thelovemagazine.co.uk/