He may own and design for one of the premier denim brands in the world, but Jean Touitou doesn't think it's that big of a deal. In fact, in a recent interview with GQ, where his famous irreverent nonchalance was on full display, he admitted he doesn't "give a fuck" about what other brands are doing, and says the denim industry overall is "not interesting."'
Touitou said that A.P.C.'s secret to success is having "a good cut and good fabric," even saying that the special blend of denim A.P.C. uses is so secret that even he himself tries to forget it so he's not tempted to reveal it to someone. Despite his brand having the Holy Grail of fabrics, Touitou insists that denim should have a "human" price. He scoffed at the prospect of super high-end denim, saying, "even if I have the means to buy a pair of jeans for $1,000, I wouldn't do so, because nothing about that is appealing to me."
Another interesting quip is Touitou's rejection of the concept of "minimalism," which may be surprising to hear considering A.P.C. was started as a stripped-down answer to the loud and over-the-top nature of 80's fashion. "The simple things we create are not minimal to achieve," he explained. "Beauty and simplicity can also have ornamentation. But in order for something to be truly sublime, it has to be simple. That's a hell of a pretentious statement, but hey, I'm 62 so I can say this now."
And don't even think about using the word "normcore" around Touitou. "Normcore is not what we do," he declared. "It's very difficult to do men's fashion, because you know aggressive fashion will be ridiculous. But it doesn't mean you do basic minimalism. I know it's a hard thing to understand, but it's the truth."
Check out the rest of the interview on GQ.
[via GQ]
