Influential Streetwear Label Pigalle Is Back (But Not as You Remember It)
You might remember Pigalle from its Instagrammable basketball court, or from A$AP Rocky wearing its box-logoed tops everywhere, or from its celebrated Nike collaborations… however it be, if you were interested in fashion during the 2010s, you will remember Pigalle.
The brainchild of multi-hyphenate creative Stéphane Ashpool, the brand was a pioneer in bringing streetwear to fashion’s big stages. Founded in 2008, the buzzy basketball-inspired brand presented at Paris Fashion Week from 2015 until 2022, when we stopped hearing from Pigalle.
Ashpool, who named the brand after the Parisian neighborhood he grew up in, has been busy in the meantime — designing France’s Olympic uniforms and opening an exhibition at Galerie du 19M, a cultural hub owned by Chanel, where he worked with Chanel’s specialty ateliers to create couture pieces — while his Pigalle brand remained quiet. Now, he’s ready to bring Pigalle back to life.
“I’m reopening the [Pigalle] shop now under the name Souvenir Pigalle,” Ashpool revealed to Highsnobiety in an interview earlier this year. “It’s a mix between a souvenir and museum shop, selling everything from cups and T-shirts to basketballs. I want to offer things you can bring back as a memento from not only Paris but the court, too.”
While the Souvenir Pigalle shop isn’t open yet (according to its Instagram account, its doors will open later this summer) the first Souvenir Pigalle collection has arrived.
In collaboration with classic American label Levi’s, Ashpool’s new brand has released a five-piece collection featuring denim items embellished with embroidered multicolor stripes.
Honoring Levi’s workwear roots, the collection includes a work jacket, an overall top, and straight-leg jeans in light blue denim. It’s a noticeable departure from the nylon-heavy sportswear Pigalle was previously known for.
However, Ashpool isn’t putting his sportswear days behind him entirely, a Pigalle Sport line is coming soon (according to his Instagram bio, at least).
The Levi’s x Souvenir Pigalle collection is an early taste of what’s to come for Ashpool's newly resurrected Parisian brand — there’s lots to look forward to in the pipeline.
