Family
Intersecting Worlds: Designer Capucine Martin Meets Filmmaker Cédric Jimenez
)
At
Capucine Martin, Cédric Jimenez and Orso, 9 months
It’s a sun-washed October afternoon in Paris, and warmth fills the apartment of designer Capucine Martin and filmmaker Cédric Jimenez. The living room is the heart of their home — anchored by a deep corner sofa, veiled in soft ecru curtains, and alive with rugs, plants, and art. You can feel the joy in the air — effortless, genuine — much like the couple themselves.
Martin, the creative force behind her namesake label Martin Martin, embodies a distinctly Parisian kind of glamour: polished but never too polished, bold but never loud. Her designs — those deceptively simple silhouettes hiding exquisite details — capture the elegance of women who know exactly who they are.
We meet her just days after her wedding to Jimenez — the Marseille-born director behind La French, Bac Nord and Novembre — as he prepares to release his latest film, Chien 51, a dystopian cop thriller starring Adèle Exarchopoulos and Gilles Lellouche. Between movie premieres, a growing fashion label, and a nine-month-old baby named Orso, the couple are already dreaming of a slower life by the sea.
Location
Paris
Author
Elsa Cau
Photos and videos
Valerio Geraci, Gautier Billotte
)
)
In the living room, heart-shaped side table by Mathieu Matégot, found at the flea market
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
TSF
Who are you, Capucine?
Capucine
My name is Capucine Martin. I’m 36 years old and live in Paris — between an unfinished coffee, a poodle named Gus, and a beautiful little Orso who puts everything in perspective. I love black for its simplicity, gold for its light, and family for its quiet strength. I laugh loudly, I’m messy, but I move forward with heart — always trying to stay elegant, even in chaos.
TSF
What’s your background?
Capucine
After barely scraping through my high school diploma, I left for London at 18 to gain independence. I wanted to learn English, to have that skill under my belt, but also because studying was never really my thing. I needed to find my path. So I decided to turn my youth into an asset and dive straight into the working world (laughs). I worked as a sales assistant in a women’s fashion store in the mornings, and took English classes in the afternoons. Step by step, I worked my way up — managing one shop, then several, and eventually helping expand the brand nationwide across the UK. I handled staff, stock management, merchandising... It was a full 360° crash course in retail. I worked non-stop, but I loved it. I was young and driven! And London is such a city of possibility — it makes you want to live fast and do everything at once.
A few years later, in 2014, I started craving new experiences. With four friends, we launched a rotisserie concept. Being French, we all missed proper roast chicken — what we found there was more like junk food. We came up with the project over a casual dinner. One of us was a restaurateur; I took charge of the art direction. The first Cocotte – Healthy Rotisserie opened in Notting Hill in 2014. Now there are about ten locations across London.
After eight years, I decided to come back to France — to start my own project and be closer to family. It was time. I had gained confidence in myself.
TSF
That project became Martin Martin, your womenswear label.
Capucine
Exactly. I had grown, gained experience — first working for that fashion brand, then co-founding Cocotte. I was ready to create Martin Martin.
TSF
What kind of environment did you grow up in?
Capucine
Fashion was almost obvious for me. I spent a lot of time in my maternal grandmother’s workshop, on rue de Tocqueville in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. She was ahead of her time, in a way — she customized women’s suits, adding a folkloric twist with feathers or beads. She gave classic pieces a sophisticated, playful edge.
I’m Parisian through and through — my grandparents and great-grandparents were Parisian, too. My parents met because they went to neighboring schools! I grew up in the 17th and 8th arrondissements, one of five siblings. We’re all very close. Family is my anchor — a solid base that plays a central role in my life. My sister, my mother, and my father — who’s still a lawyer — all work with me today. From an early age, I was surrounded by women with a strong sense of style and a love of detail.
TSF
So naturally, your family name became your brand name!
Capucine
Yes — Martin is my name, and for me it stands for family and strength. It’s deeply tied to who I am. I doubled it because I liked the idea of duality: the daytime Martin who’s calm and composed, and the nighttime Martin who’s chic, daring, a little wild. Very Parisian, really.
The brand is about strong, clean, timeless pieces — clothes that can be passed down. I could have inherited them from my mother or grandmother. They’re elegant but not trend-driven.
TSF
Do you have a specific memory of the interiors from your childhood?
Capucine
There were lots of books at home — especially La Pléiade editions — neatly lined up on big shelves. My mother loved beautiful things, but with five kids running around, it wasn’t easy! What I remember most are the big family meals, everyone pitching in to help. That’s still the case today. We always gather at our house in Cap Ferret, which my parents bought over forty years ago. I spent every holiday there.
TSF
How did Martin Martin come to life?
Capucine
I came back from London in 2017 and started preparing in 2018. I worked with Nadia Legendre, a former fashion school director, who taught me everything I didn’t know — how to turn an idea into reality, how to make a garment, how to create patterns, choose fabrics. It was my informal training.
She gave me a start, and I just went for it. I learned by doing — which meant making plenty of mistakes along the way! Luckily, I met amazing people who became my “guardian angels” in those early years — like Constance Clément, my neighbor at the time. With her husband Sylvain, she handled all the art direction and photos for Martin Martin. She had run Maison Rabih Kayrouz for ten years, so having her guidance was invaluable.
At the beginning, Martin Martin was just about jackets. The collection really expanded around 2022. It was wonderful but still quite niche — and I wanted to reach more women.
)
)
)
)
“For his last birthday, I gave Cédric a photo of Mick Jagger taken by Dominique Tarlé, which I bought from Galerie de l’Instant in Paris.”
)
This year was rock’n’roll — but that’s how it was meant to be. And in the end, it suits us just fine.
)
)
)
)
Photograph by Isabel Muñoz
)
)
)
)
1970s lamp found on Selency.
)
)
)
)
)
)
It’s so important to us that our home always feels like sunshine — meaning it’s always cheerful, peaceful, a place where we live well and don’t shout. That’s how I grew up, in a haven of calm.
)
)
)
)
TSF
This boutique, with your offices upstairs, is your first space of your own.
Capucine
Yes, and it wasn’t even planned! The opportunity just came up. We renovated everything from floor to ceiling, and Martin Martin opened last April. I worked with the interior design agency Argia — Charlotte and Tiphaine were incredible, especially given the timing. We signed the lease in mid-December, I gave birth on December 30, and the team was due to move in by February! It was stressful, but they were amazing — even coming to my apartment three days after I gave birth to make decisions.
You’ve probably guessed — I never really took maternity leave! I was back to work after three weeks. But it didn’t matter: this was my other baby.
TSF
How would you describe the atmosphere you wanted for the boutique?
Capucine
I wanted a true cocoon, something that felt very Martin Martin: understated but rich in sophisticated details. A little jewel box — even a boudoir — inspired by a Parisian apartment: herringbone parquet floors, brass stair rods set into carpet, a banister knob echoing our signature buttons. A boutique that feels dressed up.
TSF
And at home, across the Seine — how would you describe your apartment?
Capucine
It’s a transitional home. We had to move when the baby arrived. It’s an eclectic mix of our worlds — our travels, our past lives, cinema, fashion. But our real plan is to settle in Marseille, in a house Cédric has owned for years. It’s tucked into the hills, near a calanque... a dream, really.
I’ll be going back and forth between Paris and Marseille — and I’ll probably open a small base there, since after Parisiennes, Marseillaises are our most loyal clients! We also plan to expand digitally. Nowadays, distance isn’t a problem.
TSF
Tell us about some of your favorite pieces at home — objects, furniture, or artworks.
Capucine
We have these little Mathieu Matégot tables we found together at the Saint-Ouen flea market — we love them. There are also lots of photos I brought back from London, where I used to go antiquing too. For Cédric’s last birthday, I gave him a photo of Mick Jagger by Dominique Tarlé, which I found at Galerie de l’Instant in Paris.
TSF
What’s your daily rhythm like at home?
Capucine
Orso is 9 months old, so our life revolves around the three of us. Our rhythm during the week is gentle. We get together early, go to bed early — we live at our son’s pace. The first few months were tough, but now we’re hosting friends again. Life at home is relaxed — a contrast to how much we both work. Cédric’s schedule is intense right now with the film release, so it’s really important for us to carve out time as a family.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
Scandinavian sideboard found at the London flea market.
)
)
)
)
Clover-shaped table by Mathieu Matégot, found at the flea market
)
Fashion? It was an obvious path for me, having spent so much time in my grandmother’s workshop.
)
)
TSF
Having a baby must have changed your life as an entrepreneur.
Capucine
Yes, it was pretty intense, to be honest. I didn’t go back to the office right away, but I did start working again quickly. Sometimes I felt like I was missing moments with Orso. But I tell myself there will be others — and that I’m also doing it for him. The independence that allows his mother to be fulfilled matters, too.
I did it instinctively, because I had to — I wanted to see this project through, and I couldn’t just abandon the people working for me. That’s the reality of running a business: if you’re not there, everything stops. There were a few difficult months, but I’m quite calm by nature, so I managed to balance it all.
And besides, we got married two weeks ago! (Laughs.)
TSF
You two really do everything at once!
Capucine
Exactly! This year’s been rock’n’roll — but that’s how we like it. What matters most to us is keeping the sunshine at home — that it stays joyful and peaceful. That’s how I grew up, in a haven of calm.
TSF
What are your favorite spots in the neighborhood?
Capucine
Chez Georges, on rue du Mail, because it’s warm, unfussy, and we love both the food and the atmosphere. Before dinner, we like to grab a drink right across the street, at Le Moulin de la Vierge, on that charming little square.
We spend a lot of time in the Palais-Royal gardens, walking our baby and our dog Gus. I also love having a drink at Le Nemours, just across from the Comédie-Française.
Otherwise, I’d recommend the incredible tea shop Le Conservatoire des Hémisphères, just next to our offices and boutique (96, rue du Bac, Paris 7e), and Rubirosa’s, the unisex shirt and pajama store (37, rue de Grenelle, Paris 7e).
TSF
What do you like about The Socialite Family?
Capucine
I love The Socialite Family for the way it portrays families — and especially women: balancing motherhood, ambition, and the small imperfections of daily life. As both a media and a brand, it celebrates that delicate balance where style and authenticity meet, and where every detail tells a story.
TSF
Do you have a favorite piece from our collection?
Capucine
I love the
, for its retro elegance — it reminds me of the refined spirit of Art Deco.
TSF
And from your own collection?
Capucine
The Denise coat is my favorite piece — it makes you feel strong, feminine, and elegant when you wear it. It’s truly a piece to pass down: it could have belonged to my grandmother, and I could one day pass it on to my daughter (if I had one…).
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
