Sézane Is Thriving. Now Morgane Sézalory Is Thinking Bigger.

When Morgane Sézalory started listing her favorite vintage finds on eBay 20 years ago, she had no idea she was laying the foundation for what is now Sézane. The influencer-loved French fashion brand, known for its impossibly chic, vintage-inspired pieces at accessible prices, has since become inescapable. “I never decided Sézane would become a brand,” Sézalory exclusively told ELLE at her office on Paris’s Left Bank two months ago. “It just happened. Now, I can decide.”

With more than two decades of experience behind her very stylish belt, the seasoned founder and creative director is ready for her next chapter—a rebrand, if you will. “I know deep in myself that we need to do it,” she said. The transformation will include a new logo, redesigned stores, and a fresh visual identity, spearheaded by its fall/winter 2026 campaign starring Imaan Hammam. The accompanying collection will retain the codes that have made the brand recognizable, but feel more elevated—Sézane, but different.

“I feel like I’m pregnant with this 18-month baby,” Sézalory, a mother of three, added with a laugh. She continued: “It’s like school: [there’s been] 20 years of learning, and I’m finally ready to launch my vision. I can make it [Sézane] closer to who I am and what I believe. If I really created the new identity, what it is now that I’m 41 can’t be the same as when I was 21.” Here, Sézalory shares more about the new Sézane, French-girl style, and keeping true to her principles.

Sézane is entering a new creative era. Why change now?

I developed Sézane completely organically 20 years ago, when I started it on eBay, so I realized I never actually decided to create a brand or a company. It just happened. And life happened. It was spontaneous and step by step and it became bigger and bigger. Then, less than two years ago, a family member got sick and was in the hospital for a few months, and I really was not expecting it. Sometimes in life, you don’t have time to see what’s happening. This time, I had to accept the slow time and the silence. It made me wonder and question: what am I doing?

I took a step back and looked at Sézane, and I realized there are so many things I like about the brand, but what we have today is not what I would build if I had to begin today. Now, I could add some intention, and we had the means financially and the resources to make it stronger. It’s like school: [there’s been] 20 years of learning, and I’m finally ready to launch my vision. I can make it [Sézane] closer to who I am and what I believe. If I really created the new identity, what it is now that I’m 41 can’t be the same as when I was 21.

This rebrand touches everything, from the logo to the stores, packaging, and product. What do you hope longtime customers feel when they see this new version of Sézane for the first time?

I don’t want people to think it’s all new, because that’s not the idea. It’s just edited. I really do think that it’s the best of what we have always done.

Are there elements of the original Sézane DNA that still feel relevant?

It’s like a woman: the older you get, the more you can own your space. In the last 20 years, women are questioning more than ever the space they should have everywhere, in the ways they live, what they want to wear, and why they should not be dependent on society. In many ways, Sézane is like a parallel to the life I’m experiencing, but also the life of the women working next to me.

The campaign reinterprets some of Sézane’s most iconic pieces from the past 10 years. Looking back at the archive, do you have a favorite piece?

We still have the icons. When I curated the collection, I asked myself, what do we keep from the past and what do we get rid of? We still have the Will Jacket. I designed it when I was pregnant with my first girl, and I was always walking, so I needed big pockets. You can wear it with anything and it’s easy to wear, even if you gain a few pounds. It’s a good length.

It seems like everyone wants to emulate “French-girl style.” What does the aesthetic mean to you in 2026?

It’s a big fantasy, but I don’t think it’s true. With French women, there’s always an effortless little touch that everyone is cultivating. It doesn’t look like too much. There’s more femininity. When I was 20 and I was dating an American guy who was living in Austin, I went to see him, and I realized all the girls my age in the U.S. were very casual in the way they dress every day. I always felt overdressed.

Sézane has built an unusually devoted community of celebrity fans. Why do you think that is?

There’s no cynicism. I put so much sincerity and heart into it 20 years ago, and I am the same girl today. I walk the same way, I never cared about success; my goal was to protect my independence. I knew I couldn’t work for anyone because I don’t like when authority doesn’t make sense. That’s the real reason I created my brand. I’m a very kind person, and I always knew it was my biggest strength. But it’s not so usual. In the end, with what we do, you can feel it, even if you’re going to a store. You need expertise with humanity, and that runs deep in every person we hire. It’s not because it’s trendy; it’s genuine. There’s the energy of a small connection. We try to keep this independent feel you can find when you go to a good bakery.

As the brand has expanded internationally, have you noticed differences between how American and French women interact with Sézane?

The products are not always the same. In the U.S., women wear a lot of red. In France, it’s a lot of off-white.

What have you learned about scaling a business without losing its soul?

I work a lot, it’s a passion, but my main priority is love. It’s never messed up in my mind. I have so much love in my personal life, so that’s how I manage everything, even if the size keeps growing.

Ten years from now, when you look back on this moment, what would make you feel it was a success?

When people in France who don’t look at Sézane look at Sézane. It’s all about the product; what you see, what you touch, but also the picture you see. I want to update how we show what we do.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.