Maitrepierre, tomorrow's creative energy

Maitrepierre stands out for its commitment to sustainability and innovation. Its unique designs and ingenious collaborations reflect a modern, eco-friendly vision, combining traditional know-how and cutting-edge techniques.

The rise of a noted talent

Crédit photos : ©Maitrepierre">

Alphonse Maitrepierre forged his talent at La Cambre in Brussels before starting at Jean-Paul Gaultier. Then, he worked simultaneously for Acné Studios and Chanel while developing his own designs: "At that time I was double-hatted, working for brands and Home during the week and at weekends working for myself, for what I called "the salon des refusés"", i.e. working on his creative proposals rejected by the Houses, he recalls. This period allowed him to explore his creativity without a certain commercial constraint. His work as costume designer for the film Un Couteau dans le cœur by Yann Gonzalez also marked his career path. "I saw my designs as characters. I like to have a character, pull the thread and have the collection flow from it", he says, emphasizing the importance of narrative in his designs.

These early years were crucial in shaping his vision and creative approach, laying the foundations for what would become his own eponymous brand. In 2019, encouraged by a friend and enriched by the designs from his "salon des refusés", he decided to launch himself and organized his first fashion show at Galerie Chappe, marking the start of his career. As luck would have it, during this show, "a New York agent, formerly of Condé Nast, came by, called me the next day and ended up with 6 portraits in Vogue. He believed in me! ". A dazzling start!

An eco-designed and innovative brand

Crédit photos : ©Maitrepierre">

"It's simple, I always have three axes: either upcycling/sustainability, or exclusive craftsmanship, or innovation! We really tried from the start to make a respectful brand" explains Alphonse Maitrepierre. For example, he recovered materials to dye, embroider or over-print them, transforming materials that had had a first life into original designs. "But if there isn't the eco-responsible/upcycling vector, I go for ancestral savoir-faire, as for my collaboration with Emmanuelle Khanh, I called on the savoir-faire of France's last master-peigneur", he points out.

Maitrepierre's passion for constraint and experimentation is an essential driver of his creativity. "I put myself at the start of the season, full of rules so that it's complicated but therefore paradoxically simpler in terms of creativity", he confides. Always on the lookout for new techniques, he likes to divert tools to give an unprecedented creative use. "As soon as there's a new tool, I try to divert it to give a meaning, a creative use". In this spirit, his commitment to innovation was rewarded four years ago with the Grand Prix de la Design de la Ville de Paris, notably for a collaboration with an Amsterdam laboratory that was making algae-based silicone.

Another source of inspiration and challenge remains collaborations with brands with strong identities, such as Carel, Cadillac, Emmanuelle Khanh and TômTex, which nurture him:"There's a concept I discovered working with Desigual, which I love: the Solar Punk movement, which is really the quintessence of what I love. It was co-created by Hayao Miyazaki and is based on three axes: men, nature and technology. The question is how the three interact and contribute to each other, without one taking precedence over the others. They evolve in harmony. That's really what I'm looking for, especially on the Metamorphosis show where we started this concept with the placement of butterflies thanks to technology". It's essential for Alphonse to work for other brands: "I'm bulimic. Creatively, the more you do, the easier it gets, like sport. I design and adapt according to the different codes of my brand or my collaborations", explains the designer.

A contemporary, forward-looking vision

Crédit photos : ©Maitrepierre">

Maitrepierre is resolutely forward-looking, with a clear vision of what he wants to achieve. In the development of his collections, there is always a message, a concept or a story, notably ecological, such as one of his collections that referred to Princess Mononoké, also addressing a certain projection into the future.

His inspirations blend old-fashion and geek elements, revisiting traditional codes to adapt them to today's generation. "The brand is old-fashion and geeky, precisely because what inspires me is starting from traditional codes, iconic pieces" explains the designer. His first designs thus reinterpreted classics like Dior's Bar tailoring as a hoodie or a more streetwise fleece suit. "The aim is really to make the classics digestible for my generation. These codes that are great classics, we admire them, they're divine but we don't connect with them anymore". The Manette bag is a good example, inspired by the great classics, reworked to adopt the shape of a PS4 controller, combining tradition and modernity.

Eager to discover and experiment, the designer plans to further develop textile research and innovation in his future collections:"I want to develop this textile side, this art side, dedicated to the way.. even the way of making the garment, because we don't know, maybe in 15 years, the garment will be completely cast in a mold", he ponders. "Creatively, I feel at 30%. Means also define the scope of projects, because for the moment, we're on the D system. The vision I'd like to give Maitrepierre is that we're still at the stage of a small lab. I'd like to have teams involved in textile research, for example", expresses the designer, a fine promise for the future!!

In short, Maitrepierre embodies a new vision of fashion, respectful of the environment and rich in creativity, while remaining deeply rooted in craftsmanship and unique savoir-faire. With 17 points of sale worldwide and growing recognition, the Maitrepierre brand is ready to continue its ascent. Its participation at the head of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony fashion show, with its superb laser cut patterned dress, confirms its place as one of the creative talents of the future of French fashion.

For more information: https://maitrepier.re/