I’ve identified the model De Bonne Facture for a very long time, seeing them at stockists like Trunk and No Man Walks Alone over time, and chatting to the founder Déborah Neuberg over dinner or at Pitti.
I’ve additionally admired their philosophy relating to supplies and manufacturing. Most issues are intentionally made in France, and so they use pure, usually fantastically textured supplies. Each very Everlasting Fashion attributes.
The explanation I haven’t lined them prior to now is that the type appeared much less becoming – larger silhouettes, high-rise trousers, looser knitwear. However as PS has broadened its protection, taking in additional informal garments in addition to widening the type spectrum, De Bonne has appeared more and more related.
The model itself has additionally developed. When it occurred to me we should always cowl them, and I checked out latest collections on-line, they gave the impression to be extra expressive and strange, with extra distinctive and splendid supplies. Weirdly, that characterisation appeared to return up repeatedly after I interviewed Deborah at Pitti after which spoke to buddies and stockists at Pitti.
“One of many largest modifications has been the rise in e-commerce since Covid, taking up from wholesale,” Deborah stated after we met. “It’s been going very well, and it’s given me extra confidence in our designs.
“Wholesale may be fairly conservative typically, solely taking the issues they’ve bought earlier than or issues they know will do effectively. You may design plenty of fascinating items, but when consumers don’t choose it up then it by no means will get on the market.”
One instance Deborah gave of an uncommon piece was the brown checked coat I’m sporting under, which is in a super-soft child llama material. As with all De Bonne items, it’s huge and unstructured, so slightly completely different to most coats we cowl, however I do know it can enchantment to many readers.
(Bear in mind, items proven at Pitti in January are for the subsequent Autumn/Winter, so this coat wouldn’t be on sale till later this yr.)
“We’ve executed extra luxurious materials too. We’ve all the time executed the grandad coat for instance, however final yr we did it in camelhair [below]. The value was €2500 and I used to be petrified of ordering too many,” Deborah says.
“On the finish I truly acquired a name from the manufacturing facility saying there was sufficient materials to make another, and I agonised over whether or not to do it. However ultimately all of them bought very well. It made me really feel like we’re entering into the proper path on-line.
“Everybody suffers from somewhat imposter syndrome and I’ve undoubtedly felt that – a lady designing menswear, doing issues that have been much less of the second – so how issues are acquired by our prospects all the time makes a distinction.
Deborah is conscious of how mainstream her designs have turn into. “Again after we began 12 years in the past, our silhouettes have been far more uncommon – the balloon trousers, the massive raglan coats, every part snug and relaxed. Now numerous these shapes are extra customary; we have been sort of forward of the curve.”
Over time De Bonne has attracted a really loyal following, maybe due to that consistency of fashion but in addition due to its strategy to manufacturing. The truth is, Deborah stated a buyer just lately forwarded her our article on being a patron, saying that was how they felt about her garments.
“We now have an fascinating vary of consumers. There’s the inventive sort, somebody like Bent [Van Looy] maybe. Then there are the lecturers, who wish to be that bit smarter but in addition relaxed – the geography instructor jacket is type of named after them. However then there are tech guys now, who like garments however don’t actually wish to put on a swimsuit to work.”
Given how I costume, many of the De Bonne trousers aren’t actually my type. However I might put on the coats, and the fleece I’m making an attempt above was very nice – in pure wool slightly than artificial, which may be very typical and in some methods makes them just like Drake’s, although extra centered of their manufacturing and extra natural of their color palette.
De Bonne knitwear can also be lovely, all the time textured. The shapes are typically somewhat longer and wider, however that relaxed look undoubtedly fits some folks, as Bent demonstrated in his latest reader profile (under).
“The model appeals to me so much,” he advised me on the time. “It’s very romantic, very literary, very referential. It’s additionally come into its personal lately I feel.
“To start with it appeared much less clear what it was going to be, it was very pure, quite simple. However now they’ve this vary of fashions that may reoccur in several supplies; they’ve constructed up their universe fantastically. They’ve turn into extra like themselves maybe.”
A number of others, together with a few stockists, stated one thing related.
Of all of the De Bonne garments I’d put on the shirts and overshirts most, which have a equally relaxed type to a model like Casatlantic – although typically higher made (instance under).
The truth is high quality is an fascinating level as a result of it’s simple to overlook. The De Bonne garments are very effectively, cleanly made, and the costs can appear somewhat excessive till you respect this and the supplies. “A lot of it’s a matter of context,” says Deborah. I used to be all the time afraid we have been too costly, however then a buyer advised me they thought we have been very low cost – as a result of she purchased The Row.”
Deborah has additionally been by way of a couple of modifications personally, having had twins and brought a step again from the enterprise for some time. She opened the model’s first shop-cum-office simply earlier than Covid as effectively, in Paris’s eleventh arrondissement.
I’m glad to say every part appears to be going effectively now – not simply from my and Deborah’s perspective, however within the eyes of stockists. I spoke to a number of at Pitti and so they all – nearly freakishly – repeated the identical factors about latest collections.
