The Paris-based creative team PAPIER TIGRE has announced their first clothing line, PAPIER TIGRE Paris Tokyo. It premiered at ROCKET in Harajuku, Tokyo (6-9-6 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo), and an exhibition will be held at the same venue until the 12th. Popular for their paper products featuring unique graphics, PAPIER TIGRE was founded in Paris by Maxime Brenon, Agathe Demoulin, and Julien Crespel, three former colleagues at Creation Studio. Their paper products featuring original graphic patterns are sold in major department stores and select shops in France and are gaining popularity overseas. The brand name, which translates to "paper tiger," reflects their desire to transform something weak (paper) into something strong by incorporating their own graphics. Last year, Ito Kokoro, president of Ito Design Studio, met Julien of Papier Tigre. "I felt a sense of comfort when I experienced their atmosphere and work. I thought they would look great in clothing," he said, asking them to create a clothing line. Maxime and Agathe, who visited Japan for the exhibition, said, "It's been two years since we started making paper products, and we wanted to expand our range of expression from paper to fabric. We had never studied clothing, but Ito's team is a clothing professional, so it was a great collaboration." The collection offers items for men, women, and unisex. The lineup includes 40 styles, including jackets, shirts, knit tops, skirts, pants, and accessories such as bags and shoes. The same styles are available in both men's and women's sizes, allowing both men and women to choose their favorite designs. The geometric prints and jacquard fabrics are all original designs. The collection ranges from all-over patterns to knitwear with patterns on pockets and other areas, and even knitwear with patterns expressed through the knit. The price range is mainly in the 20,000 yen range, with jackets priced at around 40,000 yen and bags in the 50,000 yen range. The triangular price tags created for the clothing collection are a typical Papier Tirgur design, created by folding flat paper into a pyramid.
The first boutique is scheduled to open in Paris on November 15th. Collaboration plans with major French brands are also currently underway.
It has not yet been decided whether there will be shops in Japan, but Ito says, "The ideal sales space would be one that can fully convey Papier Tirgur's worldview, such as a shop-in-shop format. I would like to display them side by side with the paper products that inspired the patterns."
