Oh, Pioneers
Paris
If jeans went from being a workwear uniform to a ubiquitous urban staple, it's in part thanks to the forward-thinking visions of Marithé Bachellerie and François Girbaud, aka M+F Girbaud, together in life and on a groundbreaking fashion path since 1964. Relentlessly experimenting with cut and treatments, the Girbauds have been innovating for over 40 years, and continue today with the same enthusiasm. An exhaustive retrospective at Florence's Stazione Leopolda pays homage to this understated fashion powerhouse.
"Our strength is that we are not market-driven, but we bring with our innovations what the market needs," says François Girbaud, rather matter-of-factly. It all began in Paris with a bunch of imported American denims. It was the late '60s, and in order to soften and make supple the super-stiff fabric, the Girbauds artisanally tested washing solutions in a Saint Germain de Pres laundry, eventually developing, in 1976, the first industrial stonewash process from Italy. An endless series of challenging twists and turns ensued. Early experiments with crotch volume and X-shaped pockets gave room in the '80s to hip-hop-influenced baggy styles in state-of-the-art fiber blends, then to East-meets-West takes on sportswear. In the '90s, believing less and less in denim as a fabric, M+F Girbaud explored new sculptural possibilities in terms of cut, and were the first to introduce the ergonomically-engineered jeans, which they christened Matamorphojean. Environmentally aware, they've been working lately on non-polluting treatments without water and are currently perfecting another revolutionary concept: handmade jeans that one can build in his own garage.
M+F Girbaud is not fashion-y. "Fashion sometimes crosses our way, but we are still a brand in a constant state of evolution," the two stress proudly. They work on garments, not styles, and their creative laboratories, more than couture ateliers, resemble scientific cabinets where ideas and solutions are tested with an engineer's attention to detail.
The 2000 square meters of the Stazione Leopolda fully display the whole Girbaud story in a monumental, colorful scenography designed by Kristian Gavoille of Mobile Agency. Fabric and garment samples abound, while an entire section is dedicated to M+F Girbaud's unique communications approach, which has seen the two collaborate over the years with like-minded innovators, from Oliviero Toscani to Jean-Luc Godard. "We were invited by Pitti Immagine to show 'l'Altro Jeans' because they are interested in our history and want to show that we still work for the future," they conclude. "Italian manufacturers were the first to believe in our work, and still are. They supported us and gave us the opportunity to express our skills in different fields. We wanted to thank them for that."
If jeans went from being a workwear uniform to a ubiquitous urban staple, it's in part thanks to the forward-thinking visions of Marithé Bachellerie and François Girbaud, aka M+F Girbaud, together in life and on a groundbreaking fashion path since 1964. Relentlessly experimenting with cut and treatments, the Girbauds have been innovating for over 40 years, and continue today with the same enthusiasm. An exhaustive retrospective at Florence's Stazione Leopolda pays homage to this understated fashion powerhouse.
"Our strength is that we are not market-driven, but we bring with our innovations what the market needs," says François Girbaud, rather matter-of-factly. It all began in Paris with a bunch of imported American denims. It was the late '60s, and in order to soften and make supple the super-stiff fabric, the Girbauds artisanally tested washing solutions in a Saint Germain de Pres laundry, eventually developing, in 1976, the first industrial stonewash process from Italy. An endless series of challenging twists and turns ensued. Early experiments with crotch volume and X-shaped pockets gave room in the '80s to hip-hop-influenced baggy styles in state-of-the-art fiber blends, then to East-meets-West takes on sportswear. In the '90s, believing less and less in denim as a fabric, M+F Girbaud explored new sculptural possibilities in terms of cut, and were the first to introduce the ergonomically-engineered jeans, which they christened Matamorphojean. Environmentally aware, they've been working lately on non-polluting treatments without water and are currently perfecting another revolutionary concept: handmade jeans that one can build in his own garage.
M+F Girbaud is not fashion-y. "Fashion sometimes crosses our way, but we are still a brand in a constant state of evolution," the two stress proudly. They work on garments, not styles, and their creative laboratories, more than couture ateliers, resemble scientific cabinets where ideas and solutions are tested with an engineer's attention to detail.
The 2000 square meters of the Stazione Leopolda fully display the whole Girbaud story in a monumental, colorful scenography designed by Kristian Gavoille of Mobile Agency. Fabric and garment samples abound, while an entire section is dedicated to M+F Girbaud's unique communications approach, which has seen the two collaborate over the years with like-minded innovators, from Oliviero Toscani to Jean-Luc Godard. "We were invited by Pitti Immagine to show 'l'Altro Jeans' because they are interested in our history and want to show that we still work for the future," they conclude. "Italian manufacturers were the first to believe in our work, and still are. They supported us and gave us the opportunity to express our skills in different fields. We wanted to thank them for that."
-Angelo Flaccavento
posted at 3:41 PM
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