Designer Interview: Jerome Pierre & the Not-So Dark Art of Sartorial Chic

Cities | London | 31.03.2016

On the occasion of the summer 2016 Capsule Collection launch for Agnès B in London with designer Jerome Pierre.

Hi Jerome, it’s an honor to be able to do a small Q & A for BDMOTP, we adore the mini collection. You must be damn proud to be working with Agnès and her famous team of course and we love the classy stylish and simple looks of the collection. Here are a few small questions so that our readers can find themselves not only in your clothes but also in your thoughts and concepts of designer and creator.

BDMOTP: Colors. We notice your Berlin influences in that Gothic noire in the collection. Is that true?

JP: It’s funny but I associate Berlin with grey – more than black. I’ve been addicted to black for many years now. I think it has more to do with the all-encompassing quality of this ‘color’. So Berlin isn’t so much an influence in this regard, but rather a place where I most often spot people who perfectly master the art of black – in a very sleek, very chic manner… not so much gothic-y. In this collection, we used a lot of blue-blacks, which have a very modern quality; but in general, I’m rather fond of true, dark blacks. I’ve been using faded blacks in the past but I find them quite unmanageable when it comes to matching garments together.

BDMOTP: We also notice Nordic minimalism in your design. You find simplicity more elegant?

JP: I’m a minimalist at heart and have always been fascinated by how Swedish fashion enthusiasts make a basic look so interesting. It’s a work of subtlety. Much of it stems from the cut. And yes, I truly believe that elegance and simplicity very often walk hand in hand. In life as in fashion.

BDMOTP: Yet your collection is super chic but without the retro we so often see these days on the runways. French chic. So very contrasted with the German simplicity. Do we see that correctly?

JP: Simple and chic are rarely at odds. This collection very much expresses my inclination towards a certain formality, a sense of quiet decorum, but worn with the utmost comfort, with serenity. Someone within Agnès’ team deemed the products ‘casual mais très soir’. I loved this depiction. I want to design, wear, and enjoy formal elegance in an easy, warm and welcoming way.

BDMOTP: Then we notice the signature of ‘l’endroit à l’envers’ à la Hermès in the collection. A touch of class for sure. What is a man’s ultimate interest (as we are a mens’ blog) in having the inside of his wardrobe collection look better than the outside?

JP: The graphic side of the collection took more and more meaning and importance throughout the development of this capsule. And there was a real message attached to the all-over pattern – a positive one we hoped (see answer below). So it mattered to me that every piece, as much as realistically possible, was infused with this message. I also think the inside of a garment – especially a man’s garment – is the true place where a designer sends a message to the person who might ultimately wear the garment. It is there that the most genuine intention resides, the outside being often somewhat ruled by the many codes applying to menswear.

BDMOTP: As a guiding concept for the collection you chose architectural fluidity in the mode of Zaha Hadid? We love it. Where in your design do we look for this fluidity? How would you define this fluidity in fashion as a conceptual art as opposed to architecture?

JP: An important axis of this capsule was to develop sartorial pieces that could be worn in a new, different manner: Very liberated and to a degree of comfort that would make you forget what you are wearing. Sartorial chic is always very appealing, but more often than not, the suit wears the man, and not the other way around. So we tailored the pieces in a way that kept all the appeal, but without the constraints of a stuffy structure within. Take a look at the first runway look in motion. The model is undeniably wearing a suit, but his movements are completely free and the structure moves around the movements with noticeable fluidity. Fashion is functional to a much more specific degree than architecture. People work their way within and around a building. Garments must and should work their way around people’s movements.

BDMOTP: We notice the unfolding flag or road as a signature for the collection. What precisely is its meaning? The unfolding road which leads to new opportunities and new moments? It reminds of Walt Whitman’s famous line:

“Afoot and light hearted I take to the open road, the long lone road before me, leading wherever I chose.”

Does this describe your collection?

JP: This is a beautiful quote. To be more specific, the spirit of this print is a bit more Eckhart Tolle than Walt Whitman. The idea was to symbolize the Thought, and invite people to let their thoughts fly away, give their thinking mind a rest, from time to time – much in the idea of meditation. I also like the idea of creating a computerized print, using a random factor – much in the way of what the process of creation really is: Intention within circumstances.

BDMOTP: What are the ‘noble’ materials you worked with for this collection, and why did you chose them?

JP: I enjoy working with sartorial fabrics and drapery. Besides the suit and pants, I selected a techno-wool for the light ‘bombers jacket’ and the raincoat. It stems for drapery but the wool has been mixed with modern fibers to give it a functional dimension (water-repellant for example).

BDMOTP: Who do you think is the Best Dressed Man on the Planet, or in other words, which man would you say would best be fitted and styled in your Capsule Collection so that he is the best dressed man on the planet?

JP: I truly don’t have a ‘living’ answer for this question right now. The closest I can get to a relevant answer, would be to hint towards Vincent Freeman (the character portrayed by Ethan Hawk in Gattaca (1997)) – for what he embodies within the über-modern set of the movie, much more than what he looks like.