When meeting with Gwendaline Chauvin, you will instantly feel her vibrant energy. Gwendaline is a happy Mom of two children and co-founder of the newly launched brand LEROY REPUBLIQUE. I highly recommend discovering this family project and all that it is about. So what is LEROY Republic and who is Gwendaline? Take a few minutes to read this interview and you will surely be inspired by this woman. 😉
Are you a mom?
Yes ! Of two grown-ups, almost both teens now. Gabriel Alister is 14 years old and Georgia 12.
What are the Ups and Downs of being a Mom?
It’s funny, thanks to this question, I realize that everything is very connected. Strangely, the birth of my children has given me new strength and energy. I changed jobs when Gabriel was born and I started my first business when Georgia was born. I wanted more freedom to be with them while seeking personal fulfillment.
The high moments are the laughter, conversations, and projects in common. We talk a lot! Our relationship is quite Mediterranean in style. What I prefer most is our family trips. Since our children were very young we have traveled to many countries including Mexico, Cambodia, Iceland, Thailand, and Bali. This past summer, we drove across the United States from New York to Los Angeles through Detroit, Chicago, Wyoming, Montana, and the Badlands, museums and skateparks included.
The lows are the lack of energy that turns into lack of listening …
What motivates you? Where do you find your inspiration?
Everywhere. Literally. I read a lot. As many books as magazines. I travel a lot. I go around supermarkets like shops all over the world. And I walk.
I like to have and realize projects. I like the meetings that they entail and the collective energy. The family is a place of creation in all of this.
Why and how did you create LEROY REPUBLIQUE? Where does the name come from?
A year and a half ago, my husband told me about this idea he had in mind. It was still a bit fuzzy, but he realized that the question of transmission in skateboarding arose. He is a part of a first generation of skateboarders who happens to be a dad and he has been able to interact with his kids through skate. I liked this idea. It took a little while before it was refined and became a project in its own right. I wrote it in Barcelona!
Skate art culture and skateboarding families have always been an integral part of our lives.
Music, graphics, painting … It’s a lifestyle.
LEROY, is the name of the street where we live in Paris and République, where our son Gabriel skates today. LEROY REPUBLIQUE is as much a family affair as an artistic one.
What are your goals and ambitions for LEROY REPUBLIQUE?
Bring the many artistic currents of skate to life, transmit them and share them differently in a less literal way … and live a great family adventure!
What are your bestsellers?
Three angles are emerging.
– for men who love beautiful clothes, but who are not necessarily into classic skateboarding. Men who are looking for something a little more elegant and arty. The BLOCKPARTY collection is a hit.
– For children: the Skate is Family sweatshirts in all colors!
– For Christmas and family celebrations, the Family Affair !
What are your must-haves for the entire family?
- Norwegian airlines to move around the world!
- Bio c’est bon for everyday food shopping and Au bout du Champ for fruits and veggies.
- Vinted to go shopping for my daughter and I and do some nameless debates on what and why.
- Liberty in London and all Parisian pharmacies for beauty products for the entire family.
- Ace Market (63 Rue Sainte-Anne, 75002 Paris) for bottled green tea, chestnuts to nibble, and Monday night gyozas!
- The Eurostar to visit my best friend who lives in London with her four children.
- Barcelone to spend a weekend with friends, eat at the sea, wander and skate.
- The Basque coast for everything! … including the production of our sweatshirts!
- Grazia, Elle, Doolittle for outings, restaurants, inspiration, and cutouts for collages …
- Topshop, Suprême, Vinted, Skate Deluxe and vintage shops for everyone to find … loved the Los Angeles thrift stores off of La Brea Avenue this summer!
- La pâtisserie de l’église the bakery near Jourdain for apple pies in October and the chocolate éclair all the time.
- Le Comptoir des mots near Gambetta on Sundays for the descent or provoking books … it makes a change from Netflix !
What are your spots to recommend in Paris for parents?
In Paris, we go out very little.
Overall, we have our regular joints: at Rosito (rue du Pas de la Mule) for a Corsican dinner both and at Fulvio for the Emilana dish.
What are your spots to recommend in Paris for kids?
- MK2 cinéma we have seen all of the Star Wars films here. The cinema shop is too and when the weather is nice, we picnic in front of the BNF.
- Picnic in Trocadero where everyone has a great time.
- Les Buttes Chaumont Park 200% (we even got married at the Pavillon Puebla).
Thank you Gwen!
This post is also available in: French
