Entrepreneur Highlight: Stéphanie Charvat, co-founder of L’AUGUSTE Provence
Celebrating the art and craftsmanship of Provence
I had the pleasure of meeting Stéphanie of L’AUGUSTE Provence on a lovely Wednesday morning in Gordes last April. She introduced me to her company and her lovely products. I instantly knew that her brand will be featured in La Box.
Tell us who is behind L’AUGUSTE Provence.
L’AUGUSTE Provence was founded by three women, Laure, Caroline and myself (Stéphanie).
A few years ago, I took a painting class with Laure, the instructor. Something clicked right away between us, we became fast friends and started talking about building a business together.
I then told Caroline, a long-time friend, about our project, and she joined the adventure.
Today, Laure creates all of L’AUGUSTE watercolor paintings. I am in charge of the business and sales and Caroline is the art director behind each collection.
How did L’AUGUSTE come to life?
Meeting Laure reminded me how much I wanted to create a brand that would highlight the Provence art de vivre. Being from Provence, we both share a love for our region and a desire to showcase it.
I had a vision of a business that would associate art and craftsmanship, and offer high-end products, all while adopting a local and sustainable approach.Our idea was to paint watercolor that would represent scenes of Provence (landscapes or village life), print them on fabrics and make lavender bud sachet with them. With organic, Provence lavender of course. An elegant, original and high quality product presented in a high-quality packaging.
As for the name of our brand, Auguste happens to be both my grandfather’s and Laure’s grandfathers’s first name. Since they respectively played a big role in our lives — my grandpa was an artisan and someone honest and just, Laure’s grandpa was an illustrator in his youth — L’AUGUSTE became self-evident as a way to honor their legacy.
Have you always wanted to be an entrepreneur?
As long as I can remember, yes, I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I feel the need to create, innovate, and I love being involved in the creative process. It never gets old for me, and it helps me grow and constantly evolve as well.
Can you walk us through the process of making L'Auguste lavender sachet, from the initial painting to the final product? What goes into it?
First, we brainstorm ideas of watercolor together: what color scheme, what composition… We pay a lot of attention to the position of each element as the paintings will live on fabrics, not hung on a wall. It’s a different approach which takes time, and often multiple trials! Painting watercolor requires patience and experience: knowing what paper to use, or what technique, based on what we are looking to achieve. Once we’re happy with the paintings, we send them to print. Then it’s the tailoring stage: we meticulously make each lavender sachet by hand to guarantee the highest quality.
What is a typical day of work for you?
To be honest, there isn’t one day like the other. And that’s what is so amazing with this job. However they do all start with a coffee on the atelier's terrace, where we can discuss business matters and also simply be reminded of how lucky we are to live in this beautiful region. Then we get to work: tailoring, managing orders, customer service…
What is the raison d’être (the why) behind your business, and what impact do you wish to have?
We want to offer original, local, quality products that you won’t find anywhere else. Having our company based in Provence and offering products that are 100% made in Provence is very important to us.
Our goal is to showcase Provence in a way that invites to relaxation and wellness, beyond perfuming your clothes in the dresser. Mixing tradition with modernism and functionality, we are making the lavender bud sachet an everyday accessory that can help you feel good, grounded, recharged.
I think the need to take care of ourselves has never been as present as now. It is important for us to provide our customers with products they can use everyday for their wellness.
Any advice you can give for the aspiring entrepreneur that may read this?
Becoming an entrepreneur is a lifestyle choice that requires taking risks, believing in yourself and never giving up. It’s not an easy choice but if you feel that you have it in you, then you should give it a try!
Do you have a mantra or quote that keeps you going?
Listen to your guts. I think it’s necessary to keep distance with your thoughts which can often create self-doubts, and instead stay focused to what you feel deep inside, in the moment. That’s what I try to remind myself every day, and even more when I’m facing a challenge.
I hope you enjoyed getting to know Stéphanie and her beautiful company L’AUGUSTE. She is generously offering our community a discount of 20% off your first order with code bestfrenchforever.
Learn more about L’AUGUSTE on their website and Instagram.
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