Cap Horn: two adventurer shops in the middle of Limousin
Despite their name, the two Cap Horn shops are far away from the South American heat. Located in the Limousin region, in Limoges and Brive-la-Gaillarde, they’re still as exotic as ever, inviting you in to a world of travel and exchange. We interviewed Gilles, a passionate and open soul who gave these shops their true identity.
Gilles, we heard you started out in the food service industry. What triggered your move into fashion?
It’s said catering can lead you anywhere… In my case, a conversion into the clothes business seemed within reach.
If you had to compare your shop to a traditional French dish, what would it be and why?
That’s not an easy question, but I can tell you what ingredients we’d use: only good products, simplicity, warmth and patience! I’d have to think about that question a bit more, but if we could revisit traditional dishes by adding exotic touches to them, or simple seasoning that would surprise you, then we would have done our job.
Cape Horn, is, as its name indicates, a cape located at the Southern tip of the Chilean archipelago. Why did you choose this name for your shop?
I started out with brands that encouraged travel… Blanc bleu, Henry Lloyd, North Sails, Sperry Top-Sider and many others filled our shelves. To give a true identity to the shop seemed essential to me.
Cap Horn has been around for nearly 25 years now. How have you managed to integrate the shop into Limoges and Brive-la-Gaillarde?
Indeed, Cap Horn Brive has been around for 25 years. We go about our business naturally, from meeting people to finding out what inspires us. As for Limoges, everything’s working and the feedback over these last 20 months has been good and encouraging.
Can you sum up the concept of your shop in a few words?
Above all, it’s a place where we like to exchange. We try to do collaborations with brands with strong identities we naturally felt drawn to, because we enjoyed them in the long run and they know how to surprise us and evolve… We also care for coherence.
Your shop in Limoges is very modern and architectural. What ambiance do you want to give off?
We were limited by the space we had, but wanted to bring a friendly ambiance through a warm décor. The tiling on the till and shop window is a reference to porcelain.
At Cap Horn as well as at Olow, we love travelling. Tell us about an experience abroad that particularly left its mark on you.
What I remember most about all my “escapes away” is that feeling of sidestepping; of focusing on what’s essential when packing your backpack; returning the same, but slightly newer.
What do you like about the Olow products?
What I like about Olow? Putting on a piece of clothing that already seems loaded with stories and that leaves a place for others, for collaborations, encounters…
We’d like to silence the scandalmongers who say the Limousin region isn’t glamorous. Any good places to hang out in your region?
We’re in the last Gaul villages here, by maintaining our image of a backwards country, we jealously keep our secret places to ourselves. But hey, here are a few spots in Brive: the Brive-la-Gaillarde market, aperitifs at the Singe en Hiver, the Collonges hotel, the Castel Novel castle, Le 4 restaurant, La Pause Feuilletée… All these places make the town-centre somewhere that’s really pleasant to walk around in and shop… As for Limoges, there are Les Halles, La Fabrique du Café, the restaurants Le Churchill, Chez Alphonse, Philippe Redon… Les Burritos, a Mexican restaurant right next door to the shop! Great addresses are up on the blog “L’Homme en bleu”. Who has never been stirred by the black and white-clad men of the CABCL (rugby club)? Or known Beaublanc’s fervor for his Limoges CSP (basketball club)?
Thank you Gilles for your answers. You can find Cap Horn 12 Rue Carnot in Brive and 3 Rue de la Courtine in Limoges.
Follow the 2 shops news on their website and their Facebook page.
Blog of l’Homme en bleu : http://lhommeenbleu.fr
