A.P.C. is a French ready-to-wear brand, founded by Jean Touitou, in Paris in 1987.
The initial collection simply featured the label “HIVER 1987”, but subsequently became “Atelier de Production et de Création”, though the label is only ever referred to as A.P.C., often accompanied by their primary location: Rue Madame Paris.
Known for minimal, quality styles, and Japanese denims, the brand offers a range of high-end basics across both menswear & womenswear, with occasional objects and homewear pieces. Their core aesthetic may be described as “boringly beautiful”, or “beautifully boring”: Well cut, well made, relatively affordable luxury, without the need to shout.
As luxury staples, A.P.C.‘s garments act as a perfect canvas for regular collaborations with artists, musicians, and streetwear labels. These range from mainstream category leaders – Nike, Kanye West – to streetwear brands such as END and Carhartt (with whom they’ve collaborated many times over the years) – to unexpectedly beautiful ranges with stylist Suzanne Koller or actress Catherine Deneuve.
The explanation behind the Catherine Deneuve collection sums up Jean Touitou‘s approach, in many ways purposeful and deliberately simple, sometimes allowing the organic nature of ideas to guide the brand:
“How did the idea of working with Catherine Deneuve come about? I don’t know. What I do know is that the idea somehow presented itself; it wasn’t created. It was never a concept. It was a reality that came to us naturally. Catherine, my neighbour, knows her fabrics well.”
Centred around a palette of blacks, whites, and muted tones, A.P.C.‘s collections remain timeless. They sell directly via more than 60 boutiques across more than 10 countries – through Europe, Japan, and the USA. They also appear in select luxury fashion retail stores and department stores. They are available direct to consumer online, as well as via luxury online retailers and marketplaces such as Matches, Mr Porter, and Harrods.