agnès b store in Shanghai
agnès b. (born Agnès Troublé, 1941 in Versailles) is a French fashion designer. She is known for her self-named brand, which includes fashion and film interests.
She had twins at 19 and separated at 20. She graduated from École des Beaux-Arts in Versailles. A career soon followed when her personal style caught the eyes of ELLE magazine staffers at a Paris flea market. Her style of dress at the time, which included selections from France's Monoprix discount chain, was inspired less by fashion than thrift, but the magazine liked what it saw and hired her as a junior editor. With a mind towards designing rather than editing fashion, she left ELLE after less than two years, preferring apprenticeships even when they paid little and offered no time off.
She became a designer, buyer, and press attaché for Dorothée Bis in Paris. She freelance designed for Limitex, Pierre d’Alby, V de V, and Eversbin in the years 1965 and '66. In the latter year, she founded CMC (Comptoir Mondial de Creation), parent of the agnès b. label. She opened her first boutique in Les Halles in 1975. Formerly a butcher shop, the black and white tiled store had a rustic, communal atmosphere, defined by an indoor swing for children and an impromptu aviary (in reality an on-site bird population that over time grew from two to 30). agnès's friends were her first repeat customers.
agnès b. logo
agnès started designing menswear in 1981 after observing men appropriate clothes designed for women. She opened her first international store on Prince Street in New York's SoHo district in 1983. Her enthusiasm for the city stemmed from her love of the American crime film genre, dubbed film noir in France. This interest extended to the store's decor, which included vintage, oversized movie posters. The one-sheets would eventually draw the attention of filmmaker Harmony Korine, who would begin an artistic collaboration with agnès in 1999.
agnès b. launched "Le B Perfume" in 1987, a skincare and cosmetics line. Over time, her designs would grow to include maternity wear, shoes, and bags. Additionally, agnès b. has designed watches and eyewear for Seiko and a beauty line for L'Oréal. She has shops in London, Amsterdam, Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong, San Francisco and Los Angeles, with more to open in Beijing, Shanghai, and Taipei.
agnès b. founded a joint film concern with Korine called O'Salvation, under whose banner Korine began production on Mister Lonely in London in 2006. She also designated an entity for personal projects, christened Love Streams, with the blessing of Gena Rowlands, widow of John Cassavetes who directed the 1984 film of the same name.
Her acts of film patronage include the supplying of completion funds to Gaspar Noé for Irréversible (2002) and Claire Denis for Trouble Every Day (2001), as well as the underwriting of numerous film festivals.
