Stéphanie Aubry, CEO of CHAISOR

“I carry this company, and above all the CHAISOR brand, like my third child.”

Born in Chartres

Stéphanie Aubry was born in Chartres in 1971, a few kilometres from the workshop she runs today, and, like the famous decorator Madeleine Castaing, a child of Chartres. She went to school in Rambouillet, west of Paris, then completed her studies in Paris, at high school and business school, training in international trade, law and maritime law.

From DMA to CHAISOR: a family story

She joined the family group DMA (Daniel Marcel Aubry), founded by her father, at an early age and rose through every level: sales assistant, sales representative, export sales director, then CEO of DMA Industrie, the factory making CHAISOR folding chairs, which her father bought from a French-Swiss bank in 1994. Together with her brother, she grew sales to a production of 25,000 folding chairs a year.

2012: taking over CHAISOR

In 2012, Stéphanie Aubry bought CHAISOR and its assets: the brand, the machines, the know-how and the stock. She chose to champion what gives the house its soul: French craftsmanship, 100% French materials and semi-artisanal production combining upholstery, steel bending and plywood cutting.

Jean Dinh Van and the return to New York

She invested in new products and asked the celebrated jeweller Jean Dinh Van to redesign the CHAISOR Rondo. With a designer’s eye, he drew two inverted arches into the legs, giving the chair its sober, clean lines and elegance. This was the birth of the CHAISOR PLEEART by Dinh Van.

For its launch, CHAISOR exhibited at the New York design fair in 2017, reconnecting with American clients who love French design. A return to its roots: in the 1970s, CHAISOR was already well known in the haute couture salons of New York and the East Coast.

Dressed by haute couture

Since then, French and Italian haute couture has never tired of the CHAISOR. The great fashion houses dress it in their signature fabrics: Gianfranco Ferré, Marine Serre, Dior, Chanel. The Sézane brand is also a client and chose our flagship model, the CHAISOR Style.

All the way to the United Arab Emirates

Beyond Europe and the United States, CHAISOR is also present in the United Arab Emirates, where the house has exhibited its creations several times. Its chairs have been used at the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 circuit and at the Mercedes-Benz dealership in Abu Dhabi.

Her inspirations

Stéphanie Aubry was immersed in the world of luxury from an early age. She remembers Gianfranco Ferré calling her to explain, in his deep, powerful voice, the changes he wanted for his chairs.

She loves the world of Madeleine Castaing, who dared to pair leopard print with deep red or emerald green, and, at the other end of the spectrum, clean lines and raw materials. Drawn to natural materials, she is interested in the revival of ancestral crafts.

Her taste in music is as eclectic as her design inspirations: from Bach and Rachmaninoff to David Bowie, Sarah McLachlan, Madonna, George Michael and Michael Jackson.

Projects rooted in exceptional craftsmanship

True to her love of natural materials and traditional skills, Stéphanie Aubry is preparing new collections:

• Straw marquetry: an art born in the 17th century and revived by Art Deco decorators. Strands of rye straw are split, flattened and glued one by one by hand to create motifs with golden highlights.
• Button-tufting with French sheep’s wool: a material that is naturally fire-resistant, comfortable and durable.
• Natural cane weaving, woven by hand according to the traditional skills of French cane weavers.
• Camargue “sagne” reed: harvested in winter in the marshes of the Camargue, this reed has been used for centuries to thatch the roofs of the gardians’ cabins. A rare craft and an emblematic material of the south of France.

“The Rolls-Royce of folding chairs”

For Stéphanie Aubry, CHAISOR is a gem she never stops nurturing: “It’s a constant process of developing and improving an exceptional product. Our clients know that CHAISOR means flawless quality. It’s the Rolls-Royce of folding chairs: elegant, stylish, a symbol of the sixties.”

Discover the history of CHAISOR since 1962 or contact us.