What defines the essence of your brand?
The essence of Maison Agile is clothing that can be worn by all ages and a variety of body types. Fairly timeless, with colors very much inspired by the South: garrigue green, rosemary green, olive green, very chalky whites, ultramarine blues...
Why did you create Maison Agile?
I created Maison Agile primarily out of a passion for clothing, textiles, and materials. To create a piece that people will wear every day, that they will love, that they will cherish... And to offer advanced artisanal finishes, approaching luxury while remaining affordable.
What are Maison Agile's influences?
My influences always come from the South, from the Mediterranean, through very natural, mineral colors. But also a lot from menswear for its loose, comfortable cuts, natural materials; there's very little synthetic in menswear.
I am also inspired by North African clothing because Marseille is very multicultural. So, long shirts, stripes, Mao collars...
When you imagine a garment, what matters most to you?
The first thing when I design a garment is really the material: its feel, its quality, its drape. Generally, it starts with a roll of fabric I've found, a material I'm drawn to, and then a piece flows from that.
And what will be very important, as I am a pattern maker by trade, is the cut, comfort, utility, practicality of wearing, and also care. And that it should be a piece to wear every day and not a "showpiece" that stays in the closet and is only taken out once.
What makes a creation truly artisanal?
For me, what makes a piece artisanal is the intervention of the hand. It must be present as much as possible at every stage of the garment: cutting, manufacturing, finishing.
Craftsmanship is when the same hand performs several steps. That is to say, for me, it's not enough for only one step to be done by hand and for someone else to do another step in an assembly line. While they will all be handmade, for me, it loses its artisanal quality because it's not the same hand intelligence. And hence the name "Maison Agile," which means "agile hands."
And for me, craftsmanship holds a significant place in my life because I share a workshop with artisans who work with jewelry, shoes, ceramics, natural dyeing... and all these crafts sometimes intertwine and collaborate in this beautiful workshop we have in Marseille.
Discover the brand on its e-shop: https://www.maisonagile.com/