How Macon & Lesquoy playfully deliver the art of the perfect brooch
The addition of a badge or brooch can underpin a good look, giving it a unique character – as the work of accessories atelier Macon & Lesquoy shows.
The glittering badges and brooches handmade by Macon & Lesquoy offer subtle lessons in how to add character and charm to an outfit. “You can begin your day with something comfortable and easily recognisable,” says Marie Macon who co-founded the brand with Anne-Laure Lesquoy 15 years ago.
Monocle meets Macon at the business’ Paris shop off the Canal Saint-Martin. She runs her hands over brooches that include a mix of subjects from a film camera, a lobster and a pair of Bic pens. “But you can also lean into something more provocative, which will become part of your armour for the day ahead.” We have all had a day when an artfully rendered emblem of a jellyfish might have heightened our mood or accentuated an outfit.
Designing more than 2,000 badges to date, Macon says her aim is to allow people to inject a note of whimsy into their day. The Paris-based company has collaborated with a variety of institutions, including collaborations with Musée d’Orsay, Notre-Dame de Paris and ourselves here at Monocle. “We love bringing a specific universe to life,” says Macon. “It’s a way of melding my sensibilities with Anne-Laure’s and allowing others to integrate them into their own lives.”
If you find yourself in Paris’s 10th arrondissement, you might just spot Macon in her royal-blue painter’s jacket, emblazoned with a mosaic of her favourite brooches.
maconetlesquoy.com
a selection from the monocle shop
This article is from Monocle’s March issue, The Monocle 100, which features our editors’ favourite 100 figures, destinations, objects and ideas.
Read the rest of the issue here.
