Marie Macon Maison Macon&Lesquoy

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Maison Macon&Lesquoy creates hand-embroidered fashion accessories—brooches, patches, bracelets—and clothing, designed with a mix of elegance, boldness and humour, spanning everything from Parisian icons to playful collaborations.

Marie Macon founded the maison in 2009, with business partner Anne-Laure Lesquoy.

In 2016 they bought a former ironworks workshop in Canal Saint-Martin—once used to shoe horses, and empty for 40 years—transforming it into the brand’s first boutique. She wanted customers and collectors to be able to discover the full range of her designs in one place, something none of her retailers had room to do. Marie designs between 150 and 200 embroidered motifs for the store each year.

We speak with Marie about her love for Paris and how the city, and travel more broadly, provide endless inspiration for her embroidery.

(Photos from Maison Macon&Lesquoy)

Mosey Guide (mg): What is your connection to Canal Saint-Martin?

Marie Macon (mm): I have lived here for 30 years. My daughter was born here. I know everyone—it feels like living in a village. What keeps me here is the calmness and the diversity.

(mg) What does Canal Saint-Martin mean to you?

(mm) My village.

(mg) How does being in Canal Saint-Martin shape what you do?

(mm) I love Paris as a whole, not only this neighborhood. This city is an endless source of inspiration—through its history, its architecture, its way of life, and through observing Parisians: their attitudes, their clothing—everything here is inspiring.

This city is an endless source of inspiration—through its history, its architecture, its way of life, and through observing Parisians: their attitudes, their clothing—everything here is inspiring.

Two images from a Macon et Lesquoy campaign: on the left, a model in a bold fuchsia trench coat and rose-tinted glasses seated at a classic Parisian bistro marble-top table with an espresso, accompanied by a miniature dachshund in a red knitted jumper adorned with brooches, a chalk-written menu board for Les Parigots filling the dark timber backdrop; on the right, a flat-lay of hand-embroidered brooches scattered across a pale grey surface including hearts, rainbows, lightning bolts, blue and red flowers, wine glasses and speech bubbles reading Bisous in pink, red and navy, capturing the joyful and quintessentially Parisian charm of the Macon et Lesquoy collection.

(mg) What makes Canal Saint-Martin different from other places you’ve lived or worked?

(mm) The canal itself offers a space where one can pause in complete tranquility. It provides openness and also a certain slowness that gives everyday life a bit of respite in a city where everything moves very fast.

(mg) What does your perfect day in Canal Saint-Martin look like?

(mm) Having coffee outside near Saint-Louis Hospital, walking to my office in the Marais along the canal, returning in the evening after shopping at the market, stopping by my boutique, and having dinner in front of my window, wide open to the sky.

(mg) Who are the other makers, creators, or people that inspire you?

(mm) Margiela, Serge Gainsbourg, The Beatles.

(mg) What are you working on right now that excites you?

(mm) I am designing several collections at the same time. At the moment, I am working on a collection centered around the theme of everyday pleasures: drinking a good coffee, eating a small cake, taking the time to talk with one’s children, listening to music, going to the cinema. These are all moments that I cherish deeply and that, to me, create happiness.

I am also working on other collections, including a motif sold to promote organ donation. It is important to display one’s values—especially when it can be done with a beautiful brooch.

[The Canal] provides openness and also a certain slowness that gives everyday life a bit of respite in a city where everything moves very fast.

Two views of Macon et Lesquoy in Paris: on the left, the striking deep cobalt blue shopfront with cross-hatched glazing bars set into a classic cream stone Haussmann streetscape of shuttered windows, wrought iron balconies and window boxes, bright morning sunlight casting sharp shadows across the footpath; on the right, the cobalt blue interior with an antique honey-toned timber haberdashery table laden with black velvet brooch trays, diamond and hexagonal display frames covering the walls in an artful geometric arrangement, and triangular mirrors multiplying the collection into infinity, together capturing the singular beauty of one of Batignolles' most beloved boutiques.

(mg) What is the most memorable trip you’ve taken?

(mm) I have taken dozens, each filled with anecdotes: Russia, Japan, India, the USA. I love telling stories through my embroidery, and travel gives me those small adventures that I later distill into drawings.

(mg) If you could recommend anywhere in the world for a mosey, where would it be?

(mm) Canal Saint-Martin!