The Best Parisian Brands Right Now

Image via Complex Original

Year founded: 2011

Notably founded on the idea of dressing friends, Alexandre Mattiussi has positioned Ami into one of the brightest, new(ish) brands in recent memory. While the brand initially began (and shuttered) as a seller of T-shirts and shirting through very few luxury retailers, the current iteration of Ami provides well-made clothing with a European luxury twist—all at a price that clocks in reasonably below fellow Parisian brands who occupy the same market space. Streetwear guys can dig the prints and playful designs, and fashion heads can enjoy the premium quality embedded into the designs. Parisian men have an international reputation for being some of the coolest around, and collections from Ami help keep that reputation firmly in place.

Year founded: 1987

Without question, A.P.C. has thrust itself into the contemporary spotlight due to the influence of (and collaborations with) Kanye West. Granted, Jean Touitou was creating simplified (see: minimally branded) and timeless pieces well before those things were menswear buzz words. A.P.C. is one of the marquee names in fusing everyday wearability with luxury quality—especially in the raw denim scene. Thanks to collaborative designs with Kanye West, the brand has emerged not only as a place to find tailored, closet-building pieces, but as a home for hip-hop heads and streetwear fans alike. With these collaborations, A.P.C. revitalized itself for a contemporary audience while creating a new market with new designs (which were admittedly inspired by the work of fellow Parisian contemporaries like Hedi Slimane).

Year founded: 1914

Founded by Cristóbal Balenciaga, Balenciaga is currently led by Alexander Wang as creative director. Much like Balenciaga's new silhouettes and design innovations a century before, Wang's ability to innovate and drive change—particularly in the fusion of fashion and sportswear—fits in with the brand's core values. And like the man it's named for, Wang's Balenciaga projects new perspectives on shape, fabric, and proportion, while also fusing a distinct New York sensibility into the Parisian fashion house, from the women's couture to the menswear collections.

Year founded: 1992

Former creative director at Lacoste, and outgoing artistic director of womenswear at Hermès, Christophe Lemaire has a history of punching up the power of well-known French labels. With Hermès, the name of the game is heritage, and a look at the designers eponymous line proves that he's well-versed at being the contemporary eye inside of a heritage-focused head. 

Somewhere between world-traveler and quietly handsome,” Lemaire's work may remind you of Chinese factorymen, New Wave musicians—or just look like someone who's on fashion blogs and lives in Paris. Lemaire may design for those with plenty of cash, but never with that “bougie” Paris in mind. Perhaps it's that clash of thinking that makes his designs universally appealing—if you're willing to look just a little closer.

Year founded: 1970

Raf Simons for the women, Kris Van Assche for the men. To say nothing of Raf's personal rise as one of the greatest designers today, Van Assche's ability to elevate Dior Homme to the level of its sister label is worthy of praise. Being one of Paris' OG fashion houses, it goes without saying that European luxury is going to pour into every Dior Homme collection, and with a list of predecessors like John Galliano and Hedi Slimane, the brand has been had infusing rockstar inspirations into the classically Parisian label.

The important thing to note, as that while Slimane may have focused on the Rolling Stones, Jimmy Hendrix, and the Beatles for his design ideas, Van Assche is notably more modern, streamlined, and contemporary. That's not to say that you won't find bits and pieces of '80s musicians and '90s new age in his designs—but if you're looking for mod suiting, you can find Slimane at Saint Laurent. And don't worry, you can still find plenty of the jeans Kanye West loves so much, he named a song after them.

Year founded: 2014

The Scandinavians have seemed to all but trademark wearable basics and a workable price, but don't count the city of lights out when it comes to fashion innovation. Harmony, the second brand from Brooklyn We Go Hard's David Obadia, looks as if you relocated COS' headquarters into the middle of Paris. It's a minimal design that allows the brand to remain flexible and functional. Expect the pieces to make you look like the best-dressed guy in the office, while simultaneously making you look like the swaggiest guy at the bar eight hours later. Everything from sweaters, to shirts, to sportswear can be copped via Harmony, and if you're looking to add some balance to your wardrobe, you'll find a lot more than sartorial “harmony” when you browse brand's digital shelves.

Year founded: 1988

Maison Martin Margiela has swelling sense of relevance in not only the Paris fashion scene, but in hip-hop as well. Kanye wore Margiela masks during Yeezus performances. The "Future" sneaker is one of the most popular and coveted high-fashion sneakers. Rapper Future even created a song named after the label. The Maison is one known to fashion heads for creating quality product without the hoopla that other fashion brands like to inject into their fashion shows and culture.

The Martin Margiela was rarely seen in public while he was at the brand, and the designer(s), including Matthieu Blazy, who followed afterwards were just as reclusive. He was recently replaced by John Galliano, an interesting choice purely because the house is built on anonymity, and Galliano thrives on being showy. Margiela's clothes have traditionally championed a balance of minimal, deliberate, challenging, and modern. In a bold move, Galliano pulled a Hedi Slimane and recently announced the fashion house will be changing its name to simply, Maison Margiela. 

Year founded: 2008

Pigalle is all about never forgetting where you came from. Named after the neighborhood of Pigalle in Paris, the brand has blossomed beyond its early labeling as the “French Supreme” and into a brand with an identity all its own. Founder Stephane Ashpool was into spreading the gospel of basketball to the kids of his hometown. He turned that love into a banner 2014, including two Nike collaborations (the Air Raid and Air Force 1), a streetball-themed collection, and two streetball tournaments (one in Paris and one in NYC). Pigalle is positioned to be a streetwear slam dunk for the years to come, well beyond the walls of Paris.

Year founded: 1994

As long as the words “dark” and “drapey” are relevant in fashion, Rick Owens will remain one of the most talked about names in the Paris fashion world. Covetable adidas collaborations and celebrity co-signs (Kanye, A$AP Rocky, the fact that Chris Brown wore Rick Owens in a recent court appearance) make Rick Owens not only highly covetable, but a standard-bearer for the street goth aesthetic. It's the brooding and brutal designs that have lent themselves so well to hip-hop heavyweights, operating as much as a statement of “Mama, we made it” (due to their insane price tags) as an indicator of fashion sense. Whether you're rocking the Tech Runners or elongated bombers, Rick Owens' work is easy to spot—and highly sought after.

Year founded: 1961

Hedi Slimane's tenure at Saint Laurent has done more than just alter the name of the brand. Formerly under the guidance of Italian Stefano Pilati, the brand's almost sudden shift from a sprezzatura-esque tailoring to '60s-'70s rock design focus was a visual herald of the Slimane's coming. Currently the brand epitomizes Slimane's skinny, rock-n-roll aesthetic, with it's recently established “Permanent Collection” including brand signatures like L17 motorcycle jacket, a polka-dot silk button-up, Le Smoking blazer, and low-waisted skinny jeans. Considering the Yves Saint Laurent himself revolutionized skinny fit clothing with a modern sense of shape that we use even to this day, perhaps Slimane's radical direction isn't too far off-base.

Year founded: 2008

Sandro is an idea born from the entrepreneurship and design of the Chetrite family, started in 1984 by Didier and Evelyne Chetrite, and continued by their son Ilan, who also created the men's line in 2008. If you were a hip young art student attending university in Paris, you'd probably be shopping at Sandro. A trip to the brand's stores or a browse through their website proves that the clothes Sandro designs look quite similar to other Parisian luxury brands like Saint Laurent, A.P.C., and Dior Homme. However, Sandro always seems to included a slight tweak in design, and also a slightly lower price point—at least in its native Europe. It's still luxury and high-quality to be sure, but for all the quality, you're going to find the prices are in a place that a Parisian art student could actually afford.