"My first job was for a French label in Paris—I did that for five years. The designer told me they needed to make shoes for the show and asked me to do it. I was like, 'Huh?' Shoes were completely different from what I had been doing. But as soon as I stepped into the shoe factory, I said, 'OK. I want to make shoes.' I fell in love. The woman who ran the factory was in her 70s, and we just hit it off. I spent six months learning the business outside of my job, and then I won a design contest. They published my name a lot, so I thought, why not try and find a job in shoes? I found nothing. I sent my resumé out and nobody answered. I didn't want to return to my job full-time, so I went back to the factory, to the woman. I asked her to help me make my first collection, and she did. It was small... I think I had only five models. The Bon Marché bought the whole thing.

The first collection all had plexiglass heels that looked like diamonds. That was funny. I like working with strange materials—fluffy heels, cork with patent leather, I love contrast. That's actually how I met Pamela [Anderson], who I loved from my teenage years. The month before we met I sent my website to her and said I would love for her to wear my shoes, because I knew she was vegan. Then she proposed the collaboration, and I was like, 'OK!' So I designed around her universe—that collection was totally vegan. It's very complicated to do that, especially when it comes to the lining, but you have to make an effort.

HAIR
You know, Pamela was my heroine... but I never looked like her. I needed to find my way when I was younger, so I changed my hair color a lot. I went blond when I was 14. My mother saw me after the holidays at the train station, she was so shocked. She cut my hair as punishment. But I stayed blond for most of the time. I've had red now for two or three years, before that it was dark. I love to change it up. When you change your hair, all of your color perception changes. You wear clothes you didn't wear before the hairdresser—it's interesting. Two girls in my neighborhood do the cut and color at Atelier M on Avenue Ledru-Rollin.

I used to have a fringe, and I was always looking for pictures of good fringe on the internet. The perfect one has got to be between Jane Birkin and Anna Karina, when it's more of a curtain, but I always forget that my hair is super straight and doesn't have any curl. Now I'm trying to grow it out. I wash my hair every two days, using Phytocitrus Shampoo and the Phytoelixir for Intense Nutrition. I used to use John Frieda, which I love... I need to restock. I have a round brush and I blow dry it to give it a little curl. My boyfriend and I share the Davines Invisible Oil, and I'll put a drop of that in to give it some shine.

MAKEUP
Right when I was coloring my hair, I thought if I did red, I couldn't wear any color makeup. Now I think it's funny—but I don't do a ton, because the hair color means I don't have to do as much. I don't use mascara, but I always curl my lashes with a Sephora Eyelash Curler. I love the capsule collection Guy Bourdin and Nars made... I have all the colors from that. I have the fuchsia blush which I never use, but it’s so cool. What I wear the most, actually, is orange. Nars Heat Wave is amazing. I've been using a red lately by Giorgio Armani, it's almost finished.

When I put on coverage, it's tinted moisturizer. I love the Laura Mercier Soft Luminous Foundation, and her powder as well in Ivory. I never wear blush because I'm always a little bit red. Usually I wear lipstick and a brow. I just fill them in and darken them with the Laura Mercier Brow Pencil. I wear a lot of Glossier Balm Dotcom, too. Coconut is my favorite.

SKINCARE
I'm very French with my skin. Very pale, first of all. And my grandfather had red hair, so I have his skin. I put Retrouvé Dynamic Nourishing Face Cream on at night. It's very expensive, but it was a present, and it's so good for my red skin. Avène Redness Relief Cream is my day cream. And the Glossier Soothing Face Mist I'll use throughout the day—in the summer, especially, it's great for redness.

In the morning I use Eucerin Face Wash, which is very gentle. I normally use that at night, too, unless I have makeup on—then I use the Nuxe Cleansing Oil. I change my cleanser a lot... sometimes it's Bioderma Créaline, sometimes it's another thing. Occasionally I'll use a treatment, but very rarely, because my skin is fragile. I use the Kiehl's Skin Brightening Exfoliator and love it. The bead is very thin and perfect. It's very subtle and subtle. I was very lucky to find it.

BODY
Alors, the body. I need to hydrate a lot. I use the Clarins Body Balm—it’s very hard to find a cream that doesn’t feel sticky, and with this there's none of that. In the winter, I use a Clarins Body Oil. Bonne Nouvelle is a French body lotion but I use it on my hands—it smells really good. The only perfume I wear is Kiehl's Musk. I like when it smells manly. I don’t like sweet things."

—as told to ITG

Amélie Pichard photographed by Tom Newton at her home in Paris on March 10, 2017.