Stéphane Ashpool tells us about his label Pigalle and shares an exclusive photo series capturing his latest collection
- TextAnother Man
Unlike most well-known French brands, Pigalle was not born in an atelier, but on a basketball court. Well, kind of. Named after the area in Paris between the 9th and the 18th arrondissements, the label was started by Stéphane Ashpool, himself a former basketball player – and coach. Not only does the brand take cues from the style associated with the sport, but its shop sits opposite the basketball court where Ashpool played as a kid and, to this day, coaches a team. The label has received acclaim (the €250,000 ANDAM prize in 2015) for its elegant take on sportswear, collaborating with a host of brands including Nike. Here, Ashpool tells us more about his label and its unique way of operating, and shares an exclusive photo series by Paul Rousteau capturing his latest collection.
“The spirit of Pigalle is diversity. It’s like a family bakery which makes products with love and time. The Pigalle man is someone who is open-minded and multicultural. He wears elegant sportswear, and is curious enough to come visit our stores in Paris or Tokyo as we don’t sell online or wholesale. This particular collection is about craft and handmade work; the fashion show and the photo shoot took place in our recent workshop in central Paris. Together with Paul Rousteau, we showcased the new collection by mixing movement and small theatrical scenes. Paul is very talented and we have the same love for colour, so it was easy to work together. Pigalle castings are more like family reunions, we mainly pick people who lives around us. For this series, we chose Larry who is my godfather and the star of all my shows; Rayane who is a kid from the block; and Sheppard who is a very théâtral character that I love to work with.”
