Embedded Files
For Maya Persaud, fashion has never been only about what appears on the runway.
A former model who moved through the fashion worlds of Paris, London, Milan and New York, Persaud eventually turned her attention toward a different side of the industry: the people whose hands make fashion possible, but whose stories are rarely seen. In 2016, she co-founded ESPERO France, an organization focused on helping people distant from employment — primarily refugees — find pathways into professional life in France. ESPERO began with projects including permaculture and beekeeping before developing its Paris-area sewing atelier in 2020, where craftsmanship, training and employment became tools for rebuilding lives.
At ESPERO, that idea takes a tangible form. A garment begins as fabric, a drawing, a pattern and a set of skilled hands. But for the people making it, the process can also become a way of rebuilding confidence, independence and a sense of possibility. ESPERO has worked with major cultural and fashion institutions, including the Musée d’Orsay, where its artisans have presented work made from recycled and dormant luxury fabrics.
In this conversation, Persaud reflects on the people who changed her own understanding of the world, what it means to belong, why making something with your hands can transform how you see yourself, and why fashion should look beyond the faces in front of the camera.
You’ve said that meeting the people you work with changed some of your own preconceived ideas and made you realize how much you had in common. Was there a particular person or moment that changed the way you see people permanently?
I always thought that there is more that unites us as people than what separates us. The first person I hired at Espero is my right hand- Haider. Previously, I had never been in a professional relationship or friendship with an man from Afghanistan, so of course I had some preconceived ideas from what I had seen in the media. I have been working with Haider for almost ten years now and I have never seen someone so stoic, patient, compassionate and humble. These past years with him and my other employees, most of whom are refugees, has changed my life for the better. I have much more gratitude and zest for life. I am much more present and live in the moment. They have also become my family away from home.
Your work is ultimately about people finding a place in a society that may not have initially made space for them. Have you ever experienced a moment in your own life when you felt like you didn’t quite belong — and did that influence the way you built ESPERO?
My mother is African American / Native American and my father is a Hindu Indian- I was born in Texas and raised in San Francisco and Hawaii, so identifying "home" was always difficult because I have always felt uprooted. I feel more Hawaiian than anything else probably but I could not imagine living there now as I no longer have family and friends there. French people have accepted me with open arms and I have always felt welcome here and have many friends. I was also able to build an enterprise in Paris, which is important. When I witnessed the refugees traveling by foot from country to country, I though 'it would be a tragedy if they could not find their place in society after so much suffering and determination. It's still a miracle for me to see my employees come to work with so much gratitude. I never connected by sense of not belonging with that of others but it may be subconscious ;). I have always been concerned about people finding their place in society. Maybe because I was bullied as an adolescent and wanted to fit in so badly?
You’ve described seeing someone create something with their own hands as a way of rebuilding confidence and identity. Why do you think being able to create can change the way a person sees themselves?
As human being, it is magical that we can all create. Making something with your own hands is very concrete. When I complete something, it gives me confidence in knowing that I can build again and again- even after having to start from zero or minus zero. In the fashion context, creating a physical garment from a drawing on paper and then having models show them off in a fashion show is very fulfilling- it is literally seeing the clothes come to life.
You’ve spent years giving visibility to people who usually exist behind the scenes of fashion. What do you think our obsession with the visible faces of fashion — models, designers, celebrities — makes us overlook about the people who actually make the industry possible?
I studied anthropology because I am obsessed with human nature and I really love people. I was also a model and always thought that the amount of money we made was insane when there were professions that deserved it so much more- like teachers. The people who make clothing are so invisible that one would think that the garments on the runway appear on the models with the wave of a magic wand by the artistic director. My father always taught me that everyone is equal so I do not have any notions or pressure about hierarchy and many times it surprises people that I would give more of my time to a cleaning person than to an ambassador. Everyone has a story and these stories should be heard in a more balanced way which is not the case today- and I do not like double standards! ;)
If you could go back to the 19-year-old Maya who arrived in Paris wanting to enter the fashion world, what would you tell her about success, belonging, and what makes a life meaningful?
''Don't take life so seriously, don't worry about expectations of others or about what others think of you, take risks- big time! Everyone has his or her purpose for being on this earth. Learn about others, travel, have profound connections with other people and don't let fear dictate your life''
-Maya Persaud
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse