agnès b.

agnès b., née Agnès Troublé (born 1941 in Versailles), is a French clothing designer. She is known for her self-named brand, which includes fashion and film interests.

Life and early career

She had twins at 19 and separated at 20. She graduated from École des Beaux-Arts in Versailles. A career soon followed when her look caught the eye of ELLE magazine at a Paris flea market. Her style at the time, which included selections from France's Monoprix discount chain, was inspired less by fashion than thrift, but the magazine liked what it saw and hired her as a junior editor. With a mind towards designing rather than editing fashion, she left ELLE after less than two years, preferring apprenticeships even when they paid little and offered no time off.

Before 1965, she was a designer, buyer, and press attaché for Dorothée Bis in Paris. She freelance designed for Limitex, Pierre d’Alby, V de V, and Eversbin in 1965 and '66. In the latter year, she founded CMC (Comptoir Mondial de Creation), parent of the agnès b. label. Her first boutique opened in Les Halles in 1975. Formerly a butcher shop, the black-and-white-tiled store had a rustic, communal atmosphere, defined by an indoor swing for children and an impromptu aviary (in reality an on-site bird population that grew from two to 30). agnès's friends were her first repeat customers.

Expansion

agnès started designing menswear in 1981 after observing men appropriating clothes designed for women. agnès b. launched "Le B Perfume" in 1987, a skincare and cosmetics line. Her designs would grow to include maternity wear, shoes, bags and many other areas. Additionally, agnès b. has designed watches and eyewear for Seiko and a beauty line for L'Oréal as well as a co-branded sportswear line with Everlast.

She opened her first international store on Prince Street in New York's SoHo district in 1983. Her enthusiasm for the city stemmed from her love of the American crime film genre, dubbed film noir in France. This interest extended to the store's decor, which included vintage, oversized movie posters. The three-sheets would eventually draw the attention of filmmaker Harmony Korine, who would begin an artistic collaboration with agnès in 1999. She has stores in Australia, China, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, USA and UK. There are 14 retail locations only in Paris and the original location in Les Halles now consists of three stores and multiple lines (femmes, hommes, enfants & interior) and an exhibition space, Gallerie du Jour. Her retail strategy is rather unique in fashion, as she does not allow concept stores and department stores to sell her items, in contrast to similar concepts like Paul Smith and Nichole Farhi. Every store and location is owned (and more importantly) controlled by agnès b. Furthermore, she has never let the stock go public to raise cash like Jil Sander, or aligned herself to the powerful fashion houses like LVMH and PPR (Pinault-Printemps-Redoute) to secure distribution and survival.

Film interests

agnès b. founded a joint film concern with Korine called O'Salvation in 2002, under whose banner Korine began production on Mister Lonely in London in 2006. She also designated an entity for personal projects, christened Love Streams, with the blessing of Gena Rowlands, widow of John Cassavetes who directed the 1984 film of the same name.

Her acts of film patronage include the provision of completion funds to Gaspar Noé for Irréversible (2002) and Claire Denis for Trouble Every Day (2001), as well as the underwriting of numerous film festivals.

References

• "Mother of Reinvention" by David Hershkovits, Paper Magazine, February 22, 2006, retrieved April 17, 2006
• Dorothée Bis, by Alan E.Rosenberg (updated by Daryl F.Mallett), www.fashionencyclopedia.com, retrieved April 24, 2006
• "Agnès B: Film & Fashion" by Boyd Davis, www.fashionwindows.com, retrieved April 18, 2006
• agnes b., 2000 interview by Mary Clarke, Index Magazine, retrieved April 17, 2006