Fashion

Officine Générale: The Cult Brand Reinventing Menswear

Officine Générale

Pierre Mahéo is no stranger to the fashion industry. The Paris-based designer followed in his grandfather’s tailoring footsteps and worked with acclaimed tailor Michel Barnes in 1998 before moving on to work as artistic director, design director and design consultant for French menswear heavyweights.

That was, until, 2012 – when after a decade of working in the business, Mahéo left to set up the powerhouse Officine Générale.

Via @officinegenerale

Working hard to combat Fast Fashion, Mahéo has often spoken out his dismay towards overworked and underpaid individuals within factories.

We see factories collapsing, workers dying every day. Those people work so that you can buy t-shirts at a ridiculously low price. That’s not what Officine Générale is about.

Via BOF.

That, in itself, pushed him to create something on his own terms – and so Officine Générale was born.

In 2012, Officine Générale took off. Mahéo created a collection of menswear that was inspired by exactly the kind of clothes he liked to wear, exactly the way he liked to make them.

This meant wearable and everyday items inspired by his childhood in Brittany, spending his days with his grandfather and his oysterman father, surrounded by a harmonious contradiction in styles of sharp tailoring and classic French utility wear.

officine generale models

It also meant using the best fabrics that he was unpermitted to use in previous positions; cashmere from Loro Piana, English tweed and Japanese oxford cloth.

The result? expertly crafted seasonal collections of clothing fit for men who are interested in fashion but aren’t slaves to it, who value quality, longevity and impeccably-cut pieces in an even better silhouette.

Delivering pieces at a reasonable price point, without EVER compromising on quality or ethics, is something that Officine Générale does perfectly.

@richard_haines for Officine Générale FW21

Creating that typically French look we all covet and that effortless style that’s never overdone, the brand are experts at making key items (like simple navy trousers paired with a white tee) look like the best thing that’s ever happened to men’s fashion.

It’s not a new approach to menswear, yet in a world of fast fashion and flash-in-the-pan trends, it feels completely contemporary. A reinvention, almost.