In a cyber world increasingly pumped with lip-fillers, pointed nails and contour, the Instagram feed of Laura Sfez, founder of clothing line L’Ecole Des Femmes, has never been more welcome.
It’s a feed that I’ve crushed on for a couple of years, double-tapping to the tune of her intrinsically French beat and lurking on as she posts beautifully curated depictions of her life – complete with exercise rituals, dinners out and everything else.
I reached out to Laura to get a further insight into how she lives her life so completely freely, and how that in turn this has a positive affect on her health and happiness.
I UNDERSTAND YOU LOVE RUNNING? HAVE YOU ALWAYS? DO YOU DO ANY OTHER FORMS OF EXERCISE?
I’ve always exercised but never been keen on the gym. I like getting my energy out and being active but hate being in these air conditioned factories with weirdos wearing gloves, looking at themselves in the mirror while squatting. I rock climbed for a few years and then decided to start running.
I swim when I can, ride a bike when I can. I do anything to get the rage out. I’ve done yoga and pilates and know i should practice it more but I am not a patient person so it’s very hard for me to focus or show up to a class.
DO YOU FIND EXERCISE THERAPEUTIC? WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOU?
I never realised how thrilling it could be. It’s such a liberating feeling, especially when you have a good playlist. I get so many ideas while I run too. It’s as if the running speeds up my brain connections as well…which is probably the case. I especially love running alone and the fact that I don’t need anyone or a membership to do it.
WHAT DO YOU LISTEN TO WHEN YOU RUN?
I usually listen to Tupac. I listen to his angrier tunes. If I listen to him in the car I have an urge to speed, so it’s safest to listen to him on the track where my legs can speed all they want.
WHERE DO YOU LOVE TO RUN?
I’ll run anywhere where there is a track. I don’t mind going in circles. In my head I’m not on a track when I run – I am in a different dimension full of ideas and emotions. I’ve tried running through the city in both LA and Paris. I really loved running in Paris through major monuments. I hated running through the city in LA because the pavement and streets interrupt the course constantly. I like to be able to abandon all responsibility and just focus on running, nothing else.
I HAVE READ IN THE PAST ABOUT YOUR DIFFICULTIES WITH AN EX PARTNER. HOW DID THIS AFFECT YOUR HEALTH? HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO ADJUST?
Sure – it affected everything. Everything I tried to do and wanted to be was subject to someone who hated me and he had his foot on my neck. It didn’t affect my physical health as much as my psychological health. It taught me to fight. Not to fight against him – there will always be monsters like him. It taught me to fight against the horrible thoughts that he put in my head and to be the best I could be. If anything it helped me be very fit and work my hardest just to prove to myself that I was the best. I knew the truth. I knew he was an abuser and I knew what he wanted. We always know the truth deep down inside and it takes a lot of work to get inside like that and believe in yourself. I refused to let someone get the best of me and destroy me. Working out and listening to hip hop actually helped me – these people were telling me to stand up and fight back.
I definitely adjusted over time, but to all girls who have been in psychologically abusive relationships – the battle is long and no one will save you but yourself. Tell yourself that you are not weak. If you are able to put up with a piece of garbage like that then you are actually very strong and you should take that power and use it for yourself and push yourself out of that hole and be the best you can be and love yourself.
WHAT DO YOU WEAR WHEN YOU WORK OUT?
Ha. I don’t believe in spending loads on workout clothes. I have a million sports bras that I always somehow end up losing. I always wear black. A black sports bra and black leggings and New Balance sneakers. I don’t like any particular brand but I do cover up when I run and don’t like to put myself on show.
I LOVE YOUR YELLOW BRUCE LEE TRACKSUIT. ANY MORE FITNESS CLOTHING IN THE FUTURE OF L’ECOLE DES FEMMES?
Thank you! No not in the new collections I’ve just made. However, a lot of crop tops and midriff bearing!
WHAT ARE YOUR INSPIRATIONS AND WHAT KEEPS YOU FOCUSED?
Music, films and great writing, always. A great line can keep me inspired for a year, just as a great song I resonate with can bear so many ideas for looks and movement and lifestyle…
I really live within my own little world inside my head and just feed it what it needs. I avoid content that makes my world unhappy. Most modern culture makes me sad and discourages me, so I avoid it and live in the past. There is so much to look at in the past. They weren’t perfect, but they had perfect ideals to me.
WHAT IS YOUR APPROACH TO EATING? HOW MUCH OF A BIG ROLE DOES FOOD PLAY IN YOUR LIFE?
I take great pleasure in eating. I am not shy about eating and know what I like and go for it. I am a great lover of Sushi. I think I could eat it everyday. I avoid eating so much rice anymore because it’s so sweet, so I eat more sashimi these days. I do not aspire to be thin like a model and am satisfied with my body, so I just maintain a balance of eating what I love and working out. I love vegetables and want to gradually become more of a vegetarian. Us Frenchies are big meat eaters and I am not necessarily very big on red meat, but I definitely want to start avoiding it and I do for now.
I still want to drink milk and not soy milk. I don’t trust soy in large doses. I’ve switched to green tea from coffee and I stopped cheese for a year or so, but I don’t think that was a good idea. I will never give up cheese and wine and I don’t care what anyone says.
After this interview I am swimming and then headed to a good sushi place here in Hong Kong. My planning almost revolves around food sometimes.
MANY AMERICAN WOMEN SEEM TO BE FASCINATED BY FRENCH WOMEN WHEN IT COMES TO DIETING, DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?
Yes I completely understand. The two women are actually so different in their lifestyles and body shapes. American women are more curvy and fit and Parisian women are svelte and less curvy.
Parisians will eat and then restrain themselves. They also walk a lot. In Paris I never feel the need to do any cardio exercise because the walking is sufficient. I also eat very naughty things there and somehow never gain weight. The food quality plays a big role as well.
In Los Angeles I tend to put on weight faster and have to make much more effort in planning to run or workout. It boils down to the lifestyle and food quality really. I feel like food in the US is enriched. You definitely can’t eat like a Parisian woman unless you live like one and walk all day everyday.
YOU EXUDE CONFIDENCE, HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THIS? DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR WOMEN WHO ARE LACKING IN IT?
Thank you for saying that. I think the key is to wear something that makes you feel classy and to relax. I don’t think overt sexiness is key to confidence. I see so much of it today and it’s not even pretty.
I think the classier a woman feels, the more confident and sexier she is. Be classy in your manners with people, be classy to yourself and you will feel it.
