There are destinies that seem preordained, then someone decides to rewrite them. Marie Gas's story begins in a bustling workshop in Marseille, filled with the sound of beads, and was built, step by step, between creative daring and absolute exacting standards.
Marseille, jewelry, and the sound of beads
As a child, Marie Gas was awakened by the sound of beads that her father, founder of Gas Bijoux, dropped on the floor of their workshop-home in Marseille. The workshops were just above the bedrooms. Her childhood unfolded to the rhythm of artisans, materials, and colors. Jewelry was not an accessory; it was a family language, an everyday given.
Yet, young Marie chose another path. She began law studies, took the oath, and prepared to enter law school. It was at the moment of crossing this threshold that she hesitated.
"Let's just say I had listened to my left brain a lot before discovering my right brain!" — Marie Gas, Le Prescripteur
The pivot: New York, trade shows, revelation
She took a gap year and accompanied her father to trade shows. There, she discovered a whole creative horizon she hadn't suspected, and brought back a very colorful, hippie chic, very feminine fashion from New York and Los Angeles that had not yet expressed itself in France. LePrescription
Her return became obvious. In 2000, she opened her first boutique on Rue Etienne Marcel, in the heart of creative Paris. BY Marie was born.
Timeline: 25 years of history
2000: Opening of the first BY Marie boutique, 44 rue Etienne Marcel, Paris 2nd arrondissement.
2000s: Discovery and revelation of talents now indispensable: Roseanna, Marie Lichtenberg, Ulla Johnson, La Prestic Ouiston. FashionNetwork.com
2010s: Successive openings in Saint-Tropez, Marseille, then 8 Avenue George V, Paris 8th arrondissement.
2015: Gradual launch of bymarie.com. Since 2015, many things have evolved, and digital has become a real sales channel, a community of loyal women and customers who follow and await new arrivals. Leather Fashion Design
2020: 20th-anniversary celebration. Limited editions are unveiled each week to pay homage to the designers who have punctuated the history of BY Marie: Harris Wharf, Marie Lichtenberg, Lemlem, Ancient Greek Sandals, Michel Vivien, Le Monde Beryl. FashionNetwork.com
2025: 25 years of existence. Launch of the LAMOUR anniversary capsule with designer Jeanne Lamour, made in a Milanese workshop specializing in placed prints.
A dual role, a single vision
In parallel with BY Marie , Marie Gas is the Artistic Director of Gas Bijoux: the house founded by her father, whose jewelry is handmade in the Marseille workshop. In 50 years, they have never had sales. Two universes that nourish each other around a single obsession: craftsmanship, rarity, and the beauty of the gesture. Leather Fashion Design
"I strive to uphold the same values, whether I am a buyer or an Artistic Director." — Marie Gas, Leather Fashion Design