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Transmission: Thirty years of APC
Founder Jean Touitou on the French fashion brand's first looks that would come to define its signature minimalist style
In the late 1980s, because I could not find decent clothes for myself, and since I had some experience from my jobs at Kenzo, at Agnes B and at Joseph (a 'private label’, design and production), I decided to launch APC in 1987.
I realised how hard it was to get dressed in those days when I lost my suitcase during a trip to Barcelona. It was such a drama for me to get a normal pair of jeans and a nicely proportioned sweater that I decided I had to do it by myself.
At first, my collections were not branded, I just named them according to their season. So at the beginning there was no APC label, just a label saying 'Hiver 87'. At the time, I would have considered it too vulgar to have a brand name.
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And that first collection was for men only, and mainly concerned with raw denim, suits and classic clothing. But then, a lot of girls started to come to my shop and they dressed in the men's clothes. I think this is why androgyny was part of my identity since the beginning, because of all those girls who were told to dress nicely, in suits and proper coats, in order to be invisible. The idea was to take the power, and for that, we needed to look respectable. We would call ourselves 'revolution professionals'.
The raw denim straightaway became a super strong APC signifier. I went to Hiroshima, since I was told that the best denim fabric was made there. Then I did some research, and the man who became my weaver and I found a kind of formula that made this fabric exclusive and inimitable. We shook hands 27 years ago, no contract, no nothing, and he kept his word.
And today, I must say that those looks are totally relevant and even radical. To me, they represent the essence of true rock 'n' roll. Because it's tailored, it reminds me of the beginning of rock 'n' roll history (and when the Beatles were dressed like nice gentleman, but you could strongly feel their rebellious side).
There is nothing to see in those looks, I find them beautiful: no belt, no bag, no jewellery, nothing. Women don't need accessories. I think that if you see a girl dressed like this today, you will be struck by her way of wearing nothing special, because that will mean everything.
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JEAN TOUITOU founded cult ready-to-wear label A.P.C. in 1987, carving out a niche in the fashion world with its minimalist aesthetic. Published on APC's 30th anniversary, a new retrospective book traces the evolution of the brand. Extract taken from APC Transmission, £49.95; phaidon.com
