Laurence Airline's La Vie L'Amours Collection launches at House of Nala

Buhle Mbonambi

La Vie L’Amour. While many immediately think of the Édith Piaf song, which is about the connection between love and life and how they are the same, the song is really about life finding meaning in love.

The same can be said about the new collection of the same name by Laurence Airline. But beyond the connection about love and life, it celebrates the beauty of creativity and how when its fostered and given love, gives life.

 Laurence Chauvin-Buthaud with her team at Laurence Airline studios in Grand Bassam, Côte d'Ivoire. She launched the brand in 2010. 

This is what the Laurence Airline brand is about. Founded in 2010 by Laurence Chauvin-Buthaud with a mission to empower. The designer operates from a place of wanting to transform the continent’s fashion system from the top down – from defying stereotype to actioning sustainable textile development through practical skills-exchange.

Based in Grand Bassam, she uplifts communities by training and employing local artisans for her collections.   

Chauvin-Buthaud describes the label as “a meeting of different cultures, concepts, fabrics and colours to create my own story. It’s quite personal”. She also defines the label as being influenced by both West African and European design cultures. 

Laurence Airline first presented the La Vie L’Amour collection earlier this year at Africa Fashion International’s AFU Fundraising Fashion Show in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.  

The collection transcended trends and delved into the rich tapestry of cultural heritage. Garments were not just crafted from indigenous and traditional textiles like raffia, woven fabrics, and organic cotton – they embodied stories passed down through generations.

Here are the garments from the La Vie L'Amour collection available at House of Nala.