When you live and work in the fashion capital of the world, it’s easy to get weary of the perpetual modus operandi of the commercial fashion industry. Luckily enough, there are also designers like Stéphane Ashpool to remind you that fashion can be freed from the commercially driven, trend dictating madness. For some people working in fashion, it’s still about transporting inspiration and emotionally laden concepts into wearable means of self-expression. An amateur basketball player and proud boutique owner in his native neighbourhood of Pigalle, the self-taught fashion designer Ashpool translates life in the 9th district into fashion, sports and arts projects. Meet PIGALLE!
Sleek: You chose such a highly connoted, almost clichéd name like PIGALLE for your own store and brand. Does that ever get problematic at all?
Stéphane Ashpool: There is no big mystery, no concept behind the name. I was just born and raised in Pigalle. I’ve got Yugoslavian origins. My mother was a professional dancer at the opera of Sarajevo and when she came to Paris, she settled down in Pigalle. Her dancing career brought her to the Moulin Rouge – this is basically where I spent my childhood and youth. It was just a natural name for me. Then of course, it’s quiet complicated to transform the name of a place into a brand. But it was a spontaneous decision.
Tell us more about your autumn-winter 2012/13 collection, La Nouvelle Eve…
It’s my fourth collection, but I first started with the boutique. Then, after absorbing so many ideas from fashion, sports and street culture, a collection was just the natural next step. I think I have a different, maybe unusual vision of fashion – I never went to design school and I’m surely the worst drawer in the world, but I work closely with my pattern-maker, I communicate the pictures I’ve got in mind and it works out in the end. For La Nouvelle Eve, we thought about rather loose-fit clothes, but still very structured and smart, or dandy-like. Something that could be from the forties, a kind of bygone age of virility and a hint of femininity.
We used a lot of velvets to stay sensual and yet played with the supposed dirtiness of the Pigalle area – London’s red light districts also inspired me for this – the amounts of latex you’d see in strip-clubs. Therefore, I reinterpreted usual men’s accessories such as tuxedo ties and bow ties or vests, in latex together with Berlin-based brand Très Bonjour. It’s all about using traditional clothing codes and making them fit my neighbourhood’s taste.
Is it important for you to stay close to your neighbourhood – not only for inspiration, but also in terms of production? Producing in France is kind of a duty, if you want to have the best artisanal result. We produce our collections in France, Italy and Eastern Europe. A prestigious hat maker in the South of France does all our hats and headwear. He’s kind of a living patrimony for his metier. I actually started with designing hats, I love them. It’s the DNA of PIGALLE. That said, it’s a particularly dangerous challenge to stay focused on one accessory only. Hats just always put you in a certain scene, they’re a very dominant part of an outfit. I wanted to create headwear only, but I wanted them alive on models, so I was kind of forced to go further and start designing fashion. But I’m not interested in respecting the usual pace of fashion. I don’t necessarily follow seasons and I don’t want to present my collections on proper runways. I prefer get-togethers and casual presentations set in a human environment. It’s just about simple clothes with a story.
You’re fusing worlds that seem oppositional on first sight: high fashion and street sports. How did your interest in fashion come about?
It all started with choreographing fashion show. My mother, Doushka, who had a long dancing career, started working with designers on their show choreographies. She was pretty successful at it. We’ve been collaborating with designers like Damir Doma, Sharon Wauchob, Manish Arora, Rick Owens, Gareth Pugh, Comme des Garcons and many others. We basically ended up taking care of the entire production of the fashion shows. So now, if I want to find some pieces for my PIGALLE boutique there’s no problem – I can basically call Rick Owen’s wife and just pass by the atelier to pick up some pieces of previous collections, and present them in the boutique for a reasonable price. Being involved with the designer’s work brought us to a family-like relationship. However, we’re not only selling high fashion pieces; PIGALLE is all about mixing different styles, which means that we also support young designers, like Soulland and Libertines.
Rapper ASAP Rocky recently sported PIGALLE wear in his last music video “Wassup”. It’s just as nice thing to see. We represent a new generation who love the mix of different attitudes within fashion, music, sports or just other cultural and ethnical multiplicities.
What’s next for PIGALLE?
The Parisian fashion platform “Cité de la Mode et du Design” will re-open its doors soon; it’s an initiative of the Parisian Galliera Museum. Balenciaga will be there for example, showcasing Ghesquière’s drawings, Junya Wantanabe will present her thus far undisclosed wedding gowns. Thanks to my last show, I’ve been also asked to participate. I’m also working on the next collection, inspired by Morocco during French occupation, with my friend Charaf Tajer. I’ll keep you posted.
Stéphane Ashpool recently designed the sportswear of his local basket team. Take a look at Paul Geusbroek’s video for Pigalle x Nike here.
Pigalle Boutique,
7 rue Henry Monnier, Paris
www.pigalleparis.fr