As I prepare for an interview this week with Christian Dior chief executive Sydney Toledano, there is another pressing matter on my mind. Jimmy Chan, owner and founder of French fashion label Rue du Mail, has announced he's taking the company into a one-year sabbatical. However, it is not the end of the brand.
Creatively helmed by designer Martine Sitbon, the young label has won fans and critical acclaim for its quirky and complex designs, but has struggled with mainstream commercial success since the financial crisis of 2008.
Chan is sad about the move, which means it won't make an appearance at Paris Fashion Week later this month.
"It was a tough decision but Martine and I agree it's the bravest and smartest thing to do. Every season since inception until 2008 was profitable," says Chan. "By our third season, we were making decent profits."
But since the financial crisis the company has consistently been in the red. "From then on, we were trying to fix something that was fundamentally broken … since the crisis we've seen many labels go bankrupt, and we wanted to take that out of the equation for our brand."
"Something drastic" was required so the company would not incur more debt.
"This is to buy ourselves a second chance," Chan says.