Since the very beginning, agnès b. has always designed clothes that never go out of fashion, compiling her own stylistic vocabulary from a combination of classic codes and street trends. The snap cardigan, overalls, dungarees, petticoat, striped t-shirt, perfecto, sweatshirt, pinafore dress… so many essential items that can be adapted to any style suit different generations. With the varied colour schemes, tone on tone, deep black, pinks that veer towards reds, motifs inspired by nature but also street art or references to period garments, the aestheticism of agnès b. is rich and diverse.
“When I was little I would read everything I could find about Versailles: Saint Simon’s Memoires, texts written by the curators. I dreamt of becoming a museum curator. And my grand-mother talked about the 18th century as if it were yesterday! This town gave me my Cartesian, logical, rigorous side, and at the same time my more whimsical, baroque facet.”
The snap cardigan
“A long time ago, I designed a cardigan for myself. I wanted a sweatshirt that opened at the front, with lots of press-studs to make it resemble an 18th century garment, an item of children’s clothing for adults or vice versa.”
photo © agnès b.
Artist's t-shirts and artist's series
“It’s a work of art and at the same time you live with it, sleep with it, it wears out and you love it all the more, you lose it, someone else finds it, it is passed round. Even if it is not a very valuable object in itself, you become attached to it because it bears a particular significance. It is a formidable medium for a work, ideas, a gag… to affirm oneself, too”
Photoprints
“It can be an image taken from the beaches of Brittany, of neon colours, of Tokyo, New York graffiti…” Passionate about photography, agnès b. decided to use clothes and style as a medium through which to show her pictures and images. Screen printed on a t-shirt, a skirt or a dress, the photo style underlines and punctuates every collection.”
Workwear
“At the time, I found fashion too complicated. I wanted to start again from scratch, taking work wear pieces as a basis. I brought a new take on painter’s pants, workman’s jackets, and mechanic’s jumpsuits and overalls...”
agnès b. jeans
They have always featured in her collections and are integral to the brand. Jeans are one of the only items of clothing that can be passed down from generation to generation… they last for a long time, never go out of fashion and boast a unique and comfortable design... much like every other garment created by agnès b.!