Caroline Mondon, Director of Stockman, a Parisian company producing busts and mannequins since 1867, talks about globalisation and trends in body shapes at the Bread and Butter Trade Fair, Berlin 2009.Philippa Barr sat down with Mondon to discuss why their shape and presentation has been the building blocks of multiple famous fashion brands.
Philippa Barr: Can you tell me about your brand and customer base?
Caroline Mondon: Stockman is a very old brand, based in a factory in Paris. It is a company with just 30 people, which has been making busts and mannequins since 1867. The original Stockman material is Papier Mache.
PB: Not Fibreglass?
CM: Now we use fiberglass. But the original Stockman material is papier mache, and we still use papier mache. We make busts and mannequins for dressmaking and display, for many companies in France and all over the world. Ten days ago I was in Brazil, we are going to sell in Brazil. We sell in Australia, in Europe of course, in American and Asia.
PB: You have only female forms on display here in Berlin. Do you also produce male forms?
We produce male, female and child forms, and also displays for accessories and hanging rails.
PB: Are there any trends in body shapes at the moment? What is the silouhette?
CM: For display the shapes don't change much. People always want something very thin because it looks better in the windows. But for dressmaking the form changes, and Stockman follows the trends. At the moment for women the waist is larger. And the men bigger… taller and bigger. We are growing fat!
PB: Is it the same outside of Europe?
CM: Yes, everywhere in the world. But in the north of Europe people are taller and shoulders are bigger, and in Asia people are smaller.
PB: On display here there is a mannequin with a printed fabric finish. Do the boutiques and labels create designs to print, or do you produce the designs yourself?
CM: Both can happen. We have a collection and we produce new designs every month. And sometimes stores send their own fabric and we make a bust with that. It could be for decoration, like a historical bust, or it could be for accessories. Sometimes it is to put clothes on. It is a way to personalize the store and display.
PB: Finally I want to ask you about the bust. Is it growing, is it shrinking, what's happening with the bust at the moment?
CM: In Western Europe the classic bust has not changed alot. It has grown only about 1cm. The standard bust is 90cm and it doesn't change.
PB: Are there any major differences across the world?
CM: Not alot. It's globalisation, you know. Clothes are the same everywhere.
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