The price range, the colors-it was so effortless. “The freshness of the design the simple-ness was so incredible. “Zadig & Volatire arrived in the late ’90s, and I thought, wow, that is so modern,” Bönström described. She related to the simplicity of the silhouettes and its hip, low-maintenance approach. Five years later, Bönström-who, at the time, was a Swedish model working in Paris and Rome-became captivated by Gillier’s new take on fashion. He combined the names of the Enlightenment writer Voltaire and Zadig ou la Destinée, a character from one of his stories, and created pieces that have become staples for the Parisian cool girl, and those who desired to emulate that style.
It’s a rock look-something that was easy to wear, but still looked cool.”įrom that, he formed his company in 1998. “I wanted to put everything upside down-like taking a sweater and reversing it.
“I wanted to create a new way dressing,” he said. Thierry Gillier with a picture of Voltaire. Because unlike his forebears who adhered to a preppy aesthetic, he sought to bring a dynamism to fashion-one that was inspired by the rebellious styles of Patti Smith and Marianne Faithfull. “I started out doing cashmere, breaking it, cutting it, doing things you normally wouldn’t do,” he recounted. The family owned one of the largest knit factories in France, which was the perfect setting for the younger Gillier to experiment with luxury fabrics.
His great-grandfather, André Gillier, was one of the founders of Lacoste, the admired French brand that popularized the piqué shirt. The clothes were very stiff and rigid, and I wanted to make it more relaxed.”Īccording to Gillier, Zadig & Voltaire was built on bringing everydayness to luxury. For me, it was obvious that the fashion business would change. The look today is very inspired by the street. “Everything was more classic than what we were showing. “When I came to America, on Madison Avenue, it was very difficult,” he said briskly after the show (evidently, short interviews are all the brand allows).
Even when the trend of the moment is something radically different from it’s core aesthetic, it stays true to itself-something that the Zadig & Voltaire’s founder, Thierry Gillier, 58, learned early on. The brand has stayed above the fray, relatively speaking, because it doesn’t deviate from its original message. With the state of fashion in flux now that spending habits have shifted toward Instagram-worthy experiences, many are left scrambling to find their footing in markets across the globe. This year, Zadig & Voltaire is celebrating its 20th anniversary, a benchmark that is seldom achieved, especially in luxury.
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