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The capital of haute couture is celebrating the success of its first drop-in sewing cafe.
At the Sweat Shop in a trendy Paris district, wannabe dressmakers can learn the art of sewing while socializing and sipping cafe au lait. Let's drop in ourselves and take a look.
At the Sweat Shop in a trendy Paris district, wannabe dressmakers can learn the art of sewing while socializing and sipping cafe au lait. |
For most young people, style-conscious Parisians living in an age of fast-fashion, sewing is something only their parents or grandparents do.
But just because they don't know how, doesn't mean they don't want to learn.
That's what the founders of Sweat Shop were thinking when they opened Paris' first drop-in sewing cafe.
Like an Internet cafe, Sweat Shop rents its machines by the hour, at a cost of 6 euros, while also offering coffee and cake. The owners say the cafe is proving to be a massive hit.
Martena Duss, owner of Sweat Shop, said, "Paris is a very traditional city, very haute couture. So for us, it was something risky, but right from the very beginning, it worked out well. People were curious. They would pop in the shop to see what was going on, so it is very successful and we are very happy."
Since they opened in March 2010, the partners have also set up a series of classes for their customers to help improve their sewing, knitting, designing and alteration skills.
At the Sweat Shop in a trendy Paris district, wannabe dressmakers can learn the art of sewing while socializing and sipping cafe au lait. |
The workshops are taught by professionals and held in groups of five to 10 participants.
Zoe Miller, customer of Sweat Shop, said, "It's just nice to have something that you know no one else has, like you feel that it's your own special thing, but at the same time, it's also a lot less expensive than going and buying everything from Zara or Uniqlo."
The owners want to create a space that's cozy, like someone's own home, where they would want to spend a day sewing, drinking a coffee or a tea. Now the Sweat Shop's founders are considering opening franchises in other countries.