Paris. A town of so many contradictions, historic connotations and of course its immense fashion archives. With the horrific events of late still in mind, the city had to strengthen its backbone, once again. It did rather marvelously. A true sense of connection could be sensed. To maintain this, I duck under the capital’s gritty radar, to seek out some inspiring individuals. We found that French street style, with that effortless Parisian swag, which is especially on the move. One of the more prominent new additions to this; let’s call it a movement; would be ATELIER BRUME. They seem to capture the city well, crafting democratic menswear without overstatement. Each garment serves as a harness for social encounters, building bridges, always beckoning to all. I spoke to the guys for some quick fire questions, to see what that BRUME-ness is all about.
Fucking Young! – Gents, lets start with the foundation. What led you to where you are today?
Atelier Brume – Well, as a brand, we started back in February 2013. Initially we got into it quite slowly, perhaps even as a bit of a joke. For us the first designs came in and in June that year, on our way back to Paris, we simply decided to go ahead and officially launched ATELIER BRUME upon our return. As you can imagine, this has been quite the ride so far. We had some crazy working months ever since. We never stop creating and developing our brand image. We are still far from our goal but as you know we are working on it!!!
FY! – So that name, ATELIER BRUME, in short: what is your universe about?
AB – It is only about discovering and enhancing the new man. Just like the meaning of the word ‘‘Brume’’. It stands for fog or mist, that comes and goes unexpectedly. A phenomenon found in every season of the year.
FY! – Well, that might be a little abstract, what do you guys want to bring to menswear?
AB – As we said, we do believe in this idea of the new independent man. He is a person, that is simply addicted to art & fashion, he is stylish, confident and mentally strong in this new harder world. He knows how to survive and engage well. This is what we are trying to put into our collections.
FY! – Hooking into this: what does masculinity mean to you personally?
AB – Masculinity, means for us, to be sexy by staying brut, savage, virile, a true animal. And added onto this, a healthy dose of charisma.
FY! – When it comes to making collections, this is a heavy process, don’t you agree?
AB – Well, lol, it is always like the Olympics, even though we are really well prepared and organized each season. Between the work of our small team and our quality accessories supplier, the dialogues, discussions, it truly is a marathon!! As you know, this is also part of fashion, so we believe, other young designers are facing the same hurdles and challenges.
FY! – If we connect this to your inspiration, what do you look at, listen to and feel at the moment?
AB – Our inspiration comes from you!! This means the world and whatever happens around us, with a sprawling web of different religions, cultures, art, etc. The world really gives enough inspiration. We are obsessively open minded as we note even the smallest detail. Next to this, we are also very much about the „past and the future“ and connecting these two opposites. When it comes to tunes, we listen to different kinds of music, but we are very loyal to hip hop, rap and RnB. We love the old rap, oh yeah we do!!! In the studio, we often have an old rap radio station playing all day long.
FY! – Youth, as we are all about that dash of freshness. What does it mean to Atelier Brume?
AB – Fo us Youth is the future, it is what can keep us on the track and fresh + healthy in our heads.
FY! – As a newer brand, what challenges did you encounter and what would you advise to new talents out there, wishing to make their mark?
AB – We do not want to complain as we are very happy to have the opportunity to express ourselves with our brand, but this very very difficult time. If we looked a little more positively ahead, we feel that every talented person should try to grasp his or her opportunity. For all the young talent out there, they should go ahead and believe. That will also canalize their life. Fashion is a challenge, that keeps you young and busy, you never stop, not even when you are asleep.
FY! – Lets end with speaking of Paris, a city I know very well. What triggers you in the Parisian streets?
AB – Paris, notre paris!! We are very thankful to have the opportunity to maintain our home base over here. The city is full of everything, good or bad, like any other metropole. However, Paris is special!!! C’est magique!! When we look at the fashion weeks for example, where districts like the 1st, 2nd, and thirds are really like a hollywood movie. During these days, on the street only one international religion is visible: „Fashion“. For ATELIER BRUME, we are happy to have the privilege to not to work and live in paris the entire year. We are traveling a lot around the world. And how lucky we are… as all these voyages make us miss Paris and most happy to be back each time!
Photos by Ruben Jacob Fees.
For more on these Parisian explorers go to www.atelierbrumeparis.com
