4 Brands Re-Defining French Menswear
The French have always been admired for their effortless everyday dressing. A new group of contemporary Paris-based menswear labels and designers is reinventing the daily look.
In the past decade, a unique generation of designers has come to dominate and define the world of French quotidien style. Balibaris, Officine Générale, AMI Paris, and Le Gramme have carved out their own respective niches in the world of French everyday dressing while continuing to push the boundaries of the modern uniform.
From the effortless grace of Alain Delon to the always-on-trend outfits of Timothée Chalamet, the Frenchman’s style has consistently been at the center of fashion conversations. Nonchalance, ease, and individuality expressed through a specific uniform are championed today by the likes of the designers behind the aforementioned labels: Paul Szczerba, Pierre Mahéo, Alexandre Mattiussi, and Erwan Le Louër. Each has, in their own way, tapped into the essence of daily style and created a business model to bring their vision to a broader audience without compromising the values of their designs.
Here, L’OFFICIEL speaks to this new vanguard of French designers about creating a vision for the future of menswear that is as varied in its designs as in its goals.
Balibaris
Created in 2010 by Paul Szczerba, Balibaris got it right by offering a timeless masculine wardrobe of impeccable cuts and immaculate materials.
L’OFFICIEL: Can you take us back to the beginning of Balibaris?
PAUL SZCZERBA: My final internship was at an investment fund, where I saw start-ups being born every day. It gave me a new vision of entrepreneurship as something that was accessible. After receiving my first paycheck, I wanted to buy myself beautiful clothes but could not find anything that really corresponded to what I was looking for. So, I started with my own need for a functional wardrobe with contemporary cuts made from beautiful materials. At the end of 2010, I launched my brand with a collection of ties.
L’O: Who were your inspirations?
PS: Ralph Lauren. Both the entrepreneurial and the creative model, since he also started with ties. Beyond a fashion brand, he has created a distinct American lifestyle.
L’O: What is your idea of the ideal men’s wardrobe today?
PS: It must correspond to your personality. It is essential to recognize yourself in what you are wearing, both aesthetically and functionally.
L’O: Do you only wear your own creations? Which other brands meet your expectations?
PS: Yes, I wear our designs a lot, but I like to pair them with “heritage” brands like Ralph Lauren or Filson. I am also interested in the generation of designers of which Officine Générale is a part.
L’O: How did you dress as a teenager?
PS: If I tried to describe my style at the time, I think I would say “elegant skater.”
L’O: How do you see the future of menswear?
PS: As a much larger and more changing wardrobe, with essentials at the heart. Men will continue to break out of established codes and seek out novelty items, while continuing to buy basics to pair with more creative pieces.
L’O: What sort of changes have you seen in what your customers want?
PS: When I launched my brand it was unthinkable to ignore environmental issues. I have worked a lot on transparency, and I want to offer my clients a product that not only meets a need, but also reflects their values.
L’O: What have been your priorities during the past exceptionally atypical year?
PS: The most important thing was the safety of our employees. Then, we worked to protect the company, secure its funding, and take the necessary human resource measures, while at the same time continuing our work, in particular developing future collections. We have focused our investments on digital in order to improve all associated services and, by extension, the customer experience. It was a success that led to our e-commerce showing incredible growth.
Officine Générale
When Pierre Mahéo launched Officine Générale in 2012, the brand immediately stood out for producing pieces that were as ambitious (quality fabrics, respectfully sourced; exacting tailoring) as they were playful.
L’OFFICIEL: Could you go back to your beginnings in fashion?
PIERRE MAHÉO: My grandfather owned fabric stores as a tailor in Vannes, and my father was an oyster farmer in Morbihan. I grew up caught between the overtly masculine and the very refined.
L’O: Do you have the feeling that you have participated, along with other designers, in a renaissance of men’s fashion?
PM: Something happened in Paris that happened nowhere else. The brands that started at the same time as ours, with the same spirit, in Italy or in the United States have disappeared. I think we ascended very quickly, very early on, because we showed during Fashion Week in Paris, which is the most watched of all the cities.
L’O: How would you define your brand’s DNA?
PM: A certain nonchalance, a concern for quality, and sincerity.
L’O: Who are your role models in the business?
PM: Agnès B. She has stayed true to who she is. I also have enormous respect for Isabel Marant. I would compare her to Paul Smith, who has kept his zest for life.
L’O: How have you seen your clientele evolve?
PM: We have clients who have been with us since day one. We also pick up customers who can afford to dress in any brand but who think that spending a lot of money is not always necessary. I didn’t want to have a logo because I didn’t want to play that game. From time to time we sponsor a post on Instagram, but it stops there: no wild posting and no campaigns because I prefer to put money into development, stores, and structuring.
L’O: What is your personal conception of the ideal male wardrobe?
PM: I only design what I wear, and I wear very little. I have a uniform. I have pants in four copies, a jacket in three copies, etc., for adapting to the seasons. I like to form a link from one year to the next and create a shifting continuity.
L’O: What advice would you give for those looking to start a brand?
PM: Form a good team. Do not believe that it will be easy, because it is not. I also think that walking into a store is very important in this industry. It makes the experience of purchasing a real pleasure. You have to communicate an idea of your DNA and stay true to it, and that takes consistency.
AMI Paris
Some of his fans go so far as to have the “Friend of the Heart” logo tattooed on their arm. For Alexandre Mattiussi, this recognition only reinforces the idea of his brand, AMI Paris, as being a family.
L’OFFICIEL: How did you start AMI Paris?
ALEXANDRE MATTIUSSI: I started my career at LVMH with Dior, Givenchy, and Marc Jacobs. Although I was aware of the valuable experience gained from working in a large group, I always wanted to be independent. I spent 10 years designing clothes, but I did not know who I was designing them for. Too expensive, too out-there. This lack of authenticity bothered me. It was like being a chef and not wanting to eat what you cooked. I like to be a consumer of my work. AMI Paris was born from this feeling in 2011, when I was almost 30 years old.
L’O: How would you define this specific DNA that was yours from the start?
AM: I immediately wanted to create a classic, pragmatic, timeless, dare I say universal wardrobe.
L’O: Were the customers there from the start, and are they still the same today?
AM: From day one, I signed the winning quartet in terms of distribution: Barneys, Mr. Porter, 10 Corso Como, and Le Bon Marché. I also immediately opened a pop-up store. I have kept my clientele from the beginning; some mix pieces from 10 years ago with those from last season, and their children are my new clients. I love retail and boutiques—this idea of being a neighborhood trader. I can dress Kendall Jenner but also be in A NOUS Paris. I’m not afraid to take my place in a fashion landscape that has changed, and I don’t have this snobbery of wanting to only dress a certain type of clientele.
L’O: If you were to create AMI Paris from scratch in 2022, how would you go about it?
AM: Exactly the same way. You shouldn’t be afraid to try, to take risks, and to make mistakes. You have to follow your intuition, have self-confidence, and work on your selfesteem. It’s a long journey, but it’s worth it. And then, more prosaically, investing has become considerably democratized in recent years, with a real economic, political, and financial will to help young business owners.
Le Gramme
Beginning in 2013, Le Gramme founder Erwan Le Louër revolutionized the world of men’s jewelry with his minimal and whimsical creations.
L’OFFICIEL: Can you tell us about the beginning of Le Gramme?
ERWAN LE LOUËR: Le Gramme was born out of an obviousness and a desire: to create men’s jewelry with minimal aesthetics. Le Gramme embodies the culmination of my creative vision, which comes from industrial design: an elementary shape, a quality material, an imprint, and a finish.
L’O: Where do you find inspiration for your designs?
ELL: I look to industrial designers, in particular Dieter Rams with his minimal and functional objects, and Martin Szekely, whose exhibition Draw No More has deeply influenced me; it exemplifies that form becomes obvious when it follows function. In my opinion, a design must meet a need. The work of architects like John Pawson and Axel Vervoordt also inspire me, as do entrepreneurs who have the talent to deal as much with business as with creation, like Nicolas Bos at Van Cleef & Arpels or Pierre Mahéo, the founder of Officine Générale.
L’O: What have been your greatest commercial successes?
ELL: Le Gramme was born with the ribbon collection, the most representative of the brand’s concept, with a simple and refined shape. A few years later, the cable collection came to enrich our range. The cable, which has since become iconic, is directly inspired by the world of architecture and the construction of cable-stayed bridges.
L’O: How do you see the future of menswear?
ELL: Men are expressing their tastes in fashion, beauty, and jewelry. There is a kind of liberation.
L’O: If you were to go back to the beginning, would you do anything differently?
ELL: To be completely transparent, I would do it like Le Gramme, no different. There is no silver bullet, but this one has worked pretty well.
