AGNÈS B

Creating pieces as chic as they are relaxed since the 1970s, Agnès B is one of the rare creators to have made her mark on a look coveted all over the world: that of the Parisienne. As a young girl in Versailles fascinated by painting, she would go on to become a fashion journalist and a talented self-taught stylist. Agnès Troublé opened her first boutique in 1975 on Paris' Rue du Jour. A concept store ahead of its time, the space became a creative laboratory and a haven for liberty. An ordered chaos reigned there, thanks to graffiti and posters adorning the walls, birds flying freely through the space — it would serve as the theater in which so many life-changing encounters would occur. Essential to any fleshed-out wardrobe, imitated but never equaled, the Agnès b. cardigan was born in 1979. Of course, the piece's simplicity is almost disconcerting. It was nonetheless revolutionary in the era of the frumpy sweater, with its sharp cut, sweatshirt-inspired jersey, and round collar. Going against the grain of the classic bourgeois look, the label revisited work clothes, rompers, and overalls, exuding a nonchalance that stepped outside traditional codes. For Agnès b., clothes were a vector of style itself, which meant that they should bring us wellbeing, comfort, and freedom. The Kid's and Men's lines weren't far behind, along with the inauguration of an art gallery, cementing the status of Agnès b. as a businesswoman and a mother who was nothing if not multifaceted, creative, and inspired. The label went on to open boutiques all over the world, where the Agnès b. aesthetic was a roaring success. The stylist, for her part, was always connected to her time, and invested in showing her solidarity. Who could forget, for example, the famous red scarves whose proceeds were donated to efforts to stop AIDS in 1988. Committed today to the climate question and the foundation Tara Expeditions, Agnès b. — her life, and her work — has become the subject of a number of books and exhibitions. Always a step ahead and never a place to fashion, the Agnès b. look is today an essential part of the Parisian allure, over 45 years after its founding in France and around the world.