"I go through periods of obsession and fascination with all of my interests-a musician or band's discography, writers and their books, directors and their films. So too with clothing brands and their designers. Pierre Mahéo, founder and creative director of Officine Générale, is one whose work I have steadily consumed over the course of my menswear career. The brand has existed since 2012, but I really became enamored in the early 2020s after visiting the downtown store here in New York."
"Mahéo has built his brand on subverting what's trending and expected. At Officine Générale's inception, when flat-front was king, Pierre forged ahead with his take on pleated trousers. It's hard to imagine now, but at the time, the move was frowned upon; pleats were considered dated. But when The Sartortialist photographed him looking effortless in his pleated pants, the image went viral and they soon sold out."
"Pierre was born in Brittany, France, where he studied until moving to Paris at 12. After finishing his schooling in Paris, he went to fashion school-but left after just two days. "I knew it would take forever and I didn't see it as an opportunity at that time," he reflects. "I decided to do my homework by [getting a job in the industry]. That was really the starting point.""
Pierre Mahéo founded Officine Générale in 2012 and attracted wider attention in the early 2020s after a New York store visit. Mahéo built the label by subverting prevailing trends, notably advocating pleated trousers when flat-fronts dominated, a move that gained traction after a viral photograph. He was born in Brittany, moved to Paris at age 12, and briefly enrolled in fashion school before leaving to gain practical industry experience. Mahéo deliberately worked across design, merchandising, commercial, and production roles to master processes and prepare to launch his own brand around his intended age of 32.
Read at Esquire
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