Meeting Jupe by Jackie

"I wasn't always sure about the clothes my mum would buy me as a child," says Kate Villevoye, the stylish daughter of Dutch designer Jackie Villevoye who founded the label Jupe by Jackie in 2010. "They were super boyish – dark grey shorts, brogues... nobody else was wearing such clothes at school," she furthers. "But as I got a little older, I fell in love with her choices. From age sixteen, I would be rummaging in my mum's wardrobe. Her clothes were so much cooler than mine."

Family and tales of childhood are central to Jupe by Jackie, a men's and women's label that is known for an exquisite attention to detail, delicate embroidery, bow ties and shirt collars, and admired by Rei Kawakubo. Daughter Kate is the youngest of Jackie's five children. Originally trained in law, Jackie didn't move into the world of fashion until she reached the age of 53, although her eye for style would mean that she would often be asked by friends for home decoration ideas. "When I dressed my children and we went to a restaurant, people would always look at us. With five children you have to do a lot of shopping but I was always I was disappointed with what was on offer," Jackie explains. "You seem to prefer shopping in the men's department," daughter Kate interjects.

"All of my children had grown up – I had to find a new purpose in life – otherwise it would have been all bridge and yoga," Jackie remembers. She bought a one-way ticket to India, and three weeks later she had met people whom she continues to work with to this day, from fabric factories to yarn suppliers. "I'd never been to India before," she says. "One of the best things I achieved was finding my own colours and making my own yarn – my red, my purple, my navy...". Her relationships with skilled Indian workers are key to the business – "we have a strong bond... but we fight a lot! I'm a perfectionist – if there's one tiny mistake we can't use the piece. It can be heart-breaking but it has to be right." Jackie's team is now over 100-strong from the original 15 people she started with, and she visits India regularly to oversee the process.

"Childlike design details and a love of the colour navy are also central to Rei Kawakubo's practice, so a partnership between the two creatives was inevitable"

Childlike design details and a love of the colour navy are also central to Rei Kawakubo's practice, so a partnership between the two creatives was inevitable, and fruitful. Jackie was showing her collection to buyers at Tranoï tradeshow during Paris Fashion Week in September 2012. "There are so many designers showing there, one can easily be missed," Jackie recalls. "I remember two Japanese guys stopping by two years in a row. The second time I asked for their card and discovered they were head of buying for Comme des Garçons. I was confused as I didn't understand why they would be looking for other designers as they are a label. The men returned for a third time requesting a dress be sent to their boss [Rei Kawakubo]. It turned out she liked the dress and that she wanted to buy the collection for the Comme des Garçons Trading Museum in Tokyo!"

In addition to stocking the Jupe by Jackie collections at Dover Street Market London and the Trading Museum, Jackie also designs and creates the hand embroidery for the Comme des Garçons Comme des Garçons women's collection. "Rei makes the pattern; I send her the embroidery ideas." Jackie has just begun work on her fourth collection with Kawakubo.

Jupe by Jackie can also be found at Colette, Opening Ceremony. Full stockists here.

Text by Laura Bradley