FRANÇOIS GIRBAUD

CO-FOUNDER AND OWNER, MARITHÉ + FRANÇOIS GIRBAUD

Everything came to a head with Rebels not Criminals, our fight to continue artificially aging denim whilst saving water, energy and the lives of those who work in factories around the planet. People thought we were aliens back then (not untrue), bringing innovation through technology with us on our spaceship. The problem is, people have found a way to “package” these great resolutions, and sustainability has become an overused marketing tool. Denim suddenly became sustainable and all was forgiven. Not quite the same as putting a man on the moon, but perhaps we should add our patented L.A. DIP treatment, which put an end to the tyranny of the traditional chain-stitched hem, allowing pants to be shortened without a Union Special 43200G machine, and also providing a base for laser embellishment.

It’s still the same: we have to make good on the hype and marketing, and to do so, we need to find solutions to climate-related migration, recycling, waste, etc. – our generation’s Plagues of Egypt.

Looking elsewhere for inspiration, not in our rubbish bins, and blindly repeating the mistakes we made back when “we didn't know”. We have to create clothing for our moment in time.