I Am Rose - Clémentine Desseaux

Moving to the US from France after college, building a career and founding the All Womxn Project, Clém isn't one to shy away from hard work. It is her drive and dedication that make-up who she is today. Her gratitude in this joy fuels her passion to create space for others to succeed and that's just the beginning of why we love Clém. Her unintentional cool-girl attitude pulled us in, but it's her warm and welcoming je ne sais quoi that has enchanted us to stay. Get to know Clém as a women for all and be prepared to hang a while.

SRG: We think you have such a cool story! Tell us about your path and what makes you the woman you are today.

I'm originally from France, I moved to Miami right out of college and never looked back after getting my first modeling gig for American Apparel, moving to NYC to grow my career and recently moving back to Miami to follow my heart.

My journey to becoming who I am today wasn’t just luck, I worked really hard to get to where I am. I worked in the service industry paycheck-to-paycheck for a while and followed my plans until they slowly manifested one by one over the years. My story wasn’t an overnight success, it is a long and steady growth.

Now I am so grateful to say I’ve worked with brands I only dreamt of collaborating with growing up. I have met so many influential womxn and am constantly finding ways to reinvent myself and empower those around me in the process.

SRG: A one liner that would describe you is…?

Hakuna Matata

SRG: Tell us about a time you felt most powerful…

I feel the most powerful when I can use what I built for myself to help others. AWP definitely facilitated that. From giving a platform, to giving time for mentorship or money for urgent help.

And to follow up, when have you felt the most vulnerable?

I feel vulnerable all the time, from the conversations I have at our AWP meetings to the photos I take to the life stories I share… I think being vulnerable is being powerful so i am always allowing myself to be that.

SRG: What are you most passionate about?

I am passionate about cooking and food. this is my first love. I am passionate about activism and supporting womxn. I am passionate about nature and animals. I am obsessed with Baguette, my Giant Schnauzer and very much anything puppy related.

SRG: All Womxn Project is a platform championing all womxn through education, events, and connectivity. We share the same value at the core of our brand wanting to lift those around us! Tell us more about AWP.

Definitely agree on the synergies with AWP and See Rose Go! The All Womxn Project is a nonprofit organization that provides support, education, resources, and safe spaces for girls and womxn around the globe I originally co-founded AWP with my friend Charli Howard. Since then, AWP has grown exponentially. I am now the sole CEO and AWP has worked with numerous brands to spread our message (Nike, Aerie, Express). Pre-COVID time, we had also begun expanding our local groups nationwide to New York City, Miami, Seattle, and Houston. Unfortunately, right around when COVID-19 hit, all of AWP accounts were hacked, including our social media with a following of 56K womxn. It’s been hard regaining our audience, but we’re so grateful for the womxn that have stuck with us through this frustrating time.

I think most women would believe in this mission! Why do you feel we can still be so hard on each other, particularly in the digital space?

I think digitally, it is much easier to project our own insecurities onto other people. When people are able to hide their identity or make hateful comments in the safety of their home, it feels like there are no repercussions. But lately, I’ve been seeing a switch in this online community. Platforms like AWP,and creators (especially younger creators) have been using social media for good. And the community & audience following have also grown to connect and spread love to strangers digitally. It can happen, it is happening.

SRG: What are the changes/ and or challenges you’ve seen since you started AWP?

The biggest backlash we have received is the feeling of womxn not being represented enough. Our mission at AWP is to represent ALL womxn (it’s in the name). So when people are frustrated with us posting smaller figures, I understand the frustration but at the same time, we aim to remind them that our platform is meant to be a safe space for everyBODY. Our recent hack was also a huge blow as it tore away our work for the last 4 years. Sad thinking we might never get those accounts back.

We’re here to help get the audience back! How do you envision AWP growing in the near future?

I’m so excited about what’s next for AWP! We’re in the process of expanding into merchandise, and further giving back to our communities thru more digital and live (soon hopefully) events. In the current socially-distanced event area, we’re looking into ways to help womxn feel connected virtually & we cannot wait to soon share all that we have in store!

SRG: This year has been trying and emotional to say the least, how have you found respite and focus?

Plants, cooking, and my dog Baguette! Did I mention plants? Creating a safe-space at home is so important. If you’re able to invest in your home & surroundings you should now more than ever. I do recognize this is not a possibility for everyone, so for that, I really recommend finding routines and support systems that can help you get through the time in whatever environment you may be in.

SRG: What’s next for you? Wildest dream scenarios encouraged!

Like you mentioned earlier on, this was a tough year for most, me included, but sometimes in chaos we find time to re-prioritize our goals and our dreams and for me, I realized my craziest dreams were actually to have a family and a sustainable business. Nothing too crazy I suppose. So I’ll be working on both over the next year or so!