Seam and Heard: Flavie and Clayton Webster, Designers of Cerre

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“When we create a piece, we want it to be something that the owner can pass on to his or her children. We work with leather, so if an animal died for your purse, it better be extraordinary.” The business philosophy of Flavie and Clayton Webster, designers and founders of Cerre, is the antidote to the fast-living, here-today, gone-tomorrow lifestyle Angelinos are used to. The two met in Paris while modeling and, though exposed to lots of designer couture, couldn’t find anything they wanted to spend their money on.

Taking some of the biggest fashion houses (Gucci, Hermes) as inspiration, they decided to build their brand with a carefully crafted accessories collection, using only the best materials (Chanel uses the same lambskin) and keeping the designs timeless but highly personal. “We get inspired by very psychedelic, cosmic ideas, weird cultures and mysticism. Witchcraft, Vikings, and barbarians all have been the starting point for collections.” Maybe that’s the reason why these two feel more at home in free-thinking LA than in chic Paris? “We’re very instinct driven—many business developments have happened through weird coincidences and accidents, which we picked up on. So far the decisions have always been right.”

What inspired your latest collection?
American Indian culture.

Who’s the quintessential Cerre woman?
Anybody but redheads—just kidding! We design for ourselves really.

Who’s your favorite LA designer?
Michel Berandi.

Who’s your favorite designer overall?
Azzedine Alaia.

What are the advantages of working in LA over working in NYC?
We hate NYC. Every time we go there we get more depressed. Everyone is cool—they make being cool generic. There is a much wider variety of freaks in LA. I think it has to do with the space out here; you can live in your fantasy world and be whoever you’d like to be. In NYC, everybody is accountable to each other all day long since everyone’s so close together.

Also, the customer base here has become much more educated in regards to fashion—and they’re not as conservative as, for example, in Paris; they’re taking much bigger chances.

What’s your go-to shopping spot in LA?
Maxfield.

What’s the season’s must-have item?
All I think about is music records, all my clothes I’ve had for 10 years? I don’t like the idea of one thing being right for everybody.

The season’s-not-under-any-circumstances – don’t care if you’re Anne Hathaway or Heidi Klum – have item?
I think the important thing is that someone is confident, then everything looks good.

Cerre is available at the designers' Atelier in Hollywood. Photos by Christina von Messling.