France is the birthplace of fashion giants like Coco Chanel, Brigitte Bardot, and Pierre Balmain. Paris boasts a rich heritage of haute couture, boutiques, ateliers, and broader fashion prestige. This tradition continues today, with streetwear brands and contemporary fashion constantly maintaining France’s status as a global fashion hub. Let’s explore what’s beyond Dior and Louis Vuitton!
Casablanca
The Casablanca brand clearly draws from Moroccan culture, focusing on premium sportswear and sporty leisure essentials. Creative director Charaf Tajer’s close connection to Parisian streetwear is evident in almost every piece. Casablanca’s clothes are relaxed, comfortable, and, of course, vibrant in the Parisian nightlife.
Hoka
Hoka is a running brand known for its performance-enhancing footwear and strategic collaborations with brands like Opening Ceremony and Engineered Garments. Founded in 2009 by former Salomon employees Nicolas Mermoud and Jean-Luc Diard, their goal was to create shoes that help runners go faster. Hoka’s early success stemmed from creating well-cushioned, lightweight, and stable shoes. Over the years, the brand capitalized on the chunky sneaker trend with popular models like the Clifton, Bondi, and Mafate, recently introducing more fashionable sneakers that pair easily with various outfits. Hoka is the latest favorite among sneaker enthusiasts, known for its quality and comfort.
Jacquemus
The current darling of the fashion world, Jacquemus transports us to the French countryside in summer and Southern France in winter. Whether through fashion shows held in picturesque lavender and wheat fields or seeing Simon Porte Jacquemus’s creations up close, it’s clear that something truly special has emerged before our eyes. Jacquemus pours deeply personal stories into his clothes, drawing from Southern France’s rich artistic, touristic, and fashion history, resulting in unmistakably French romantic garments.
Pigalle
Named after Paris’s notoriously lush Quartier Pigalle, Pigalle is the brainchild of designer Stephane Ashpool. While the brand’s more accessible streetwear is popularized by hip-hop artists and skateboarders, Pigalle’s runway collections occupy the opposite end of the spectrum, often being highly avant-garde.
Y/Project
Y/Project is a Parisian brand that likely wouldn’t exist without Glenn Martens. The actual founding of the brand occurred in 2011 by designer Yohan Serfaty (from whose name the ‘Y’ originates), who unfortunately passed away two years later. Glenn Martens then took over as creative director. Y/Project is characterized by intricate designs that often involve layering fabrics that play with various symmetries. This allows them to blend the energy of streetwear with the classic elegance of silhouettes, molding feminine and masculine tendencies until they merge into an exciting unisex appearance.