2023-10-14 05:00:00
As a stylist, how do you stay inspired after 50 years in the profession?
I am curious about everything, and greedy for life… I never get bored! This is how I stay connected to my times. What’s more, I grew up in Versailles, where I studied Fine Arts. All my childhood, I walked the paths of the castle and the gardens, with wide eyes. Everything inspires me: artists, nature… but above all, the street. I observe the passers-by and what is written on the walls – I have always been a big fan of graffiti. When I was younger, armed with an old, cheap Nikon, I loved traveling through cities and taking photos, but also drawing, making films… My favorite place at the moment is Belleville .
Places therefore have a certain importance in your creative process…
Yes, there is something almost mystical in my life and my relationship to places. I opened my first store in 1975, rue du Jour, in the Halles district of Paris. Today, my offices are located on Rue Dieu… Rather bright, don’t you think? I also have unshakeable faith. And if I am reluctant to present myself as a left-wing Catholic – because I don’t like this label – my beliefs are the basis of my commitments.
Exactly, let’s talk about your commitments. You are one of the pioneers of French manufacturing. Have you ever been discouraged?
Never. I have always had a maverick side in the industry. Since the launch of my brand, I have refused to advertise, to give in to the dictates of the industry, and I must admit that May 68 has a lot to do with it. The Situationists also influenced me a lot. As for made in France, I defend it as much as possible, but there is still a long way to go…
In your opinion, how can we revalue and encourage it?
With concrete measures. When I see that the flagships of Calais lace were sold to the Chinese a few years ago, I find it deplorable… Financial aid is needed to rebuild or strengthen French manufacturing. But also create specialized schools and training for technical professions such as mechanics, cutters, etc. There are far too many fashion design schools and too few offers for technical professions. However, they are essential to avoid the disappearance of our know-how. What’s more, you can’t even imagine how much Japanese customers appreciate the fact that our clothes are made in France. This may seem anecdotal, but a “made in France” label is real added value!
Today, what do you make in France?
Our famous snap cardigans have been made in Troyes since 1979. The same goes for the sailor tops. The wool weave comes from Drôme, the shirts from Pays de la Loire, the leathers from Île-de-France… Roughly speaking, made in France represents 40% in value of our purchases.
This does not prevent you from working with other countries…
Of course, with suppliers that we select carefully and who correspond to the values we hold. In Tunisia and Morocco, in particular. We also like to favor collaborations with countries producing certain materials. For example, Peru, for alpaca, rafa from Madagascar, cashmere from Mongolia…
Why do you think there is so much outsourcing in the fashion industry?
Because of the race for profit. In their desire to lower the cost of labor, many have left France to go to countries that are less regulated, from a social and environmental point of view. Today, it is not very difficult to see the harmful consequences of fast fashion…
That’s to say ?
There are a plethora of examples: the factory which collapsed in Bangladesh in 2013 and which killed more than a thousand people, but also more recently the inhumane living and working conditions of Uyghurs in China. Without forgetting the consequences on the environment. We produce astronomical quantities of clothing that has a very short lifespan… it’s incredible!
And how to offer an alternative to fast fashionwhich has very affordable prices?
I don’t know… By restoring importance to the places, perhaps? Our stores are built and designed like places to live. You can find our free newspaper there, which is called The Point of Irony. In the boutique on rue du Vieux-Colombier, in Paris, there is a “florist” section, because I have always really liked flowers and I love nature and gardening. In my very first store, there were nearly 35 birds flying freely in our premises! In short, experience must be valued.
Is the reindustrialization of France an alternative… or wishful thinking?
I’ve been talking about it for almost fifty years! I’m just waiting for that, and for me it’s a very real commitment, and not an ideal that’s out of reach. Take linen, for example, which is a material that we use a lot at Agnès B. Despite 80% of its cultivation worldwide between Caen and Amsterdam, it then goes to China to be spun. In 2006, the last linen mill was forced to close its doors in France! Fortunately, for some time now, it has been possible to manufacture a 100% French linen product, from seed to finished product, thanks to courageous entrepreneurs who fought for the spinning mills to return to our territory. In France, linen contributes to maintaining an economic and social fabric in rural areas – professions in solidarity with each other, from the farmer to the scutcher, including the spinner, the weaver, the knitter, the finisher, the merchant… This is why we must manufacture in France. The issues are very real.
In almost 50 years, how has your approach evolved?
To tell the truth, it has remained more or less the same. Consistent, faithful to its commitments. My team and I have always worked in favor of responsible fashion. We only have two collections per year, and we prioritize cut and quality materials. Agnès B. designer clothes are timeless, worn from one generation to another, and they embody the values of the house. Unlike the fashion industry, we have never pushed for overconsumption.
You are not kind to this environment…
Apart from Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, for whom I have deep affection, I hate the fashion world, because there reigns a cult of the ephemeral, a rush of trends and production.
So does your vision combine French manufacturing and ecology?
Absolutely, it seems inseparable to me. In 2003, my son Étienne Bourgois and I acquired the schooner Tara. We created the Tara Ocean Foundation, the first recognized public utility foundation dedicated to the Ocean, with a view to making it a floating scientific laboratory serving the protection of the marine environment. This is my commitment to ecology.
And in fashion?
In 2020, I was sponsor of Go for Good, an initiative by Galeries Lafayette to work towards eco-responsible fashion. Subsequently, we chose to work with the Fashion Green Hub association, with which we have actively worked, among other things, on the reduction of plastic packaging. But also with the ICS association, with a view to improving the living conditions of employees and to reduce the environmental impact in the supply chain.
You, who are both a stylist and an art collector, how do you imagine the future of creation? With artificial intelligence, we are already talking about a 4th industrial revolution…
I don’t feel concerned at the moment. To create clothes, I only need a pencil and a white sheet of paper. The rest doesn’t matter to me. But we’re still in the golden age of something. With all this technical progress, perhaps we are on the threshold of a new golden age…
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
1697272119
#Reindustrialization #Ive #talking #years #Agnès