Ouest Paris merges the Wild West with surf culture

By

Triana Alonso

Translated by
Roberta HERRERA

Published
Jan 24, 2022

The Ouest Paris Fall/Winter 2022 collection of this menswear season was presented at the Tranoï trade show, hosted in Le Carreau du Temple located in the heart of Paris on Thursday, Jan. 20. Arthur Robert unveiled his first collection a few steps away from Virgil Abloh’s final runway collection for Louis Vuitton, honoring the creative director’s memory following his passing on Nov. 28.  

 

Arthur Robert, founder of the French label, successfully underwent this first and challenging step of debuting his brand, rushing to receive the down jackets for his looks that same morning. The collection is composed of more than 80 pieces, despite the short day allowing him to exhibit only half a dozen of his silhouettes against a backdrop depicting the wide-open spaces of an American landscape.


“I came up with the brand and the collection during the Covid pandemic lockdowns. I would be scrolling through Google Maps to entertain myself, the idea of escaping elsewhere ever-present. The name is a mix between the Southwest coast of France, where I’m originally from, and my fascination for American culture and the Wild West. By merging the surfing culture of Southwestern France and the West Coast with the Wild West, I was able to combine all my sources of inspiration and create Ouest Paris,” explains the designer who previously worked for Maison Kitsuné and AMI. Alexandre Mattuissi, founder of the latter, came upon the independent work of his former employee this Wednesday.

Robert chose to veer away from his past work with AMI by taking Ouest Paris in a completely different creative direction. The brand’s logo found plastered upon the collection’s products draws inspiration from elements of surf wear, such as the details found on a wetsuit’s zipper and the materials and shapes of a protective surfboard cover. The use of raw, sturdy denim made from organic cotton throughout the collection references the original utilitarian fabric’s origins and traditional workwear influences.

 

Robert Arthur’s first collection, produced in Portugal and Eastern Europe, includes T-shirts under €100, marine striped sweaters, fleece sweatshirts, tracksuits, shirts, jackets, down jackets, jeans under €300, as well as a wide variety of hats and caps.  

This collection hopes to garner the attention of multi-brand retail stores as the French brand aims to target a niche premium market mainly occupied by American and Asian brands. Ouest Paris plans on activating its online store by this summer and will be present at the Tranoï trade show in the Palais de Tokyo from this Friday until Jan. 23.