FASHION AND JEWELLERY DESIGNER AMBRE DAHAN SHOWS US AROUND HER HOME IN THE HOLLYWOOD HILLS, WHERE PARISIAN CHIC MEETS L.A. HISTORY

'I not only found the house, I renovated and decorated it, doing practically everything myself'

- VICTORIA DE ALCAHUD 

Born in Paris and now very Bmuch at home in Los Angeles, fashion designer Ambre Dahan is a flawless mix of French chic and California cool.

She is absolutely cut out, in fact, to create the kind of gorgeous wardrobe essentials adored by the most stylish celebrities and her label, SPRWMN, has made fans of everyone from Rihanna, Kylie Jenner, the Duchess of Sussex and Alessandra Ambrosio to Jennifer Lopez and many more.

But when we meet at her bijou villa in the Hollywood Hills, Ambre reveals that it took years to convince her parents that a career in fashion was the perfect fit.

A DATE WITH DESTINY

Instead, she says, they encouraged her to take a law degree, which she dutifully did. Afterwards, when she was about to enrol in the French Fashion Institute, they intervened again: "Why don't you study economics first?" they said. And she did just that.

Finally, fate took a hand. Ambre joined friends to help with a fashion fair that included the fast-rising brand Joe’s Jeans. “And that’s how I met Joe,” she tells us.

California-based Joe Dahan was one of the pioneers helping to turn denim into the universal object of desire it is today.

“I thought he was great. A little later, I had a job with Cartier in New York, where I met him again. He said: ‘You should come to Los Angeles. You’ll like it.’ And in the blink of an eye I found myself designing with Joe, marrying him and living in Los Angeles!” That was 2004.

Ambre took to the role of fashion entrepreneur straight away and as co-director of Joe’s Jeans, helped develop the brand globally. In 2014, she launched a jewellery line, Ambre Victoria.