FASHION QUOTE BY Agnès b. | JANUARY 2023 ISSUE

by Mimi Sia January 16, 2023

FASHION QUOTE BY
Agnès b.

2023 JANUARY ISSU

Written by Andrew Sia
Illustrated by Elita Lam

From the Desk of the Publisher

“Fashion, no. I prefer clothes. One can always be in fashion.”

agnès b.

Agnès b. the French designer born in 1941 and already opened her first boutique in 1975. According to the record that she has three stores in New York City. Her designs are definitely not high fashion but can be worn by almost everyone.

Actually she is quite popular in the Asian countries. And again it has to do with her designs that have democratized and the price range is also quite affordable.

Perhaps her quote, “Fashion, no. I prefer clothes. One can always be in fashion,” is what she is trying to promote her fashion. She wants them to be very wearable.

Once upon a time, fashion was a luxury and only a few could afford. It was considered as the trendsetter. Today, somehow the fashion has been democratized and it is available more to those who have the need and could have at more affordable ways. Many brands and boutiques offer apparel and accessories for all social classes. There are originals, copies or something lookalike, and they are offered in the different tiers.

I observed agnès b. from the distance. At their boutiques in the shopping malls. I found them to be very “user friendly” and can be enjoyed by all walks of life. This is perhaps the brand’s success.

Agnès Andrèe Marguerite Troublè is also known as Agnès B, was born in 1941 in Versailles is known worldwide as the self-named brand agnès b.

She began as a young mother of the twins at the young age of 19 but didn’t stop to pursue a career in fashion design after being separated from the twins’ father at the age of 20.

She graduated from Ècole du Louvre in Paris. Her personal style caught the attention from the Elle magazine staff at a local flea market in Paris. She joined Elle as a junior editor. She was dissatisfied as she wanted to design clothes rather than doing the editorial work for the others. And between 1965 and 1966, she freelanced for V de V, Limitex, Eversbin and Pierre d’Alby.

She launched her own company, Comptoir Mondial de Creation in 1967 and opened her first boutique in 1975 in Les Halles. She began to experiment menswear in 1981 and in 1983 she went international and opened her first shop in Soho District in New York. Inside her store in SoHo she used large vintage posters for display and apparently she was influenced by her love of the American crime films.

Agnès started her first perfume called Le b. in 1987 and later it was expanded into a skincare and cosmetic range. She went on to include shoes, maternity wear and handbags to her collection.

She continued to design a beauty line with L’Oreal and watches and eyewear for Seiko.

She built the business into a multi-million-dollar venture with stores in countries like Tokyo, Singapore, London, Amsterdam, Shanghai and Beijing.

For her remarkable contribution to the fashion industry, Agnès was made the Knight of Ordre national du Merite on May 21, 1985. She was also made the Knight of the Legion d’Honneur in 2000.

Agnès set up example with her business and social responsibility and she is currently supporting several associations, including AIDES, ACT UP and Handicap International.