Jean Touitou
Jean Touitou (born December 10,[1] 1951 in Tunis, Tunisia) is a Tunisian-French creative director and founder of A.P.C.[2]
Biography
Touitou was born on December 10, 1951 in Tunis, to a Tunisian Jewish family. He was then "a revolutionary militant for a few years".[2] His family was in the leather business.[3] He arrived in Paris from Tunisia with his family in 1960 at age 9.[2] He studied at École alsacienne, then earned a degree in history and geography from the Sorbonne, and travelled a year in South America[3] and the United States after his studies.
Upon his return in Paris in 1977, he worked for the designer Takada Kenzo.[4][5] After a few years working as a warehouseman and an accountant, he started working at Agnès b. in 1985, he associated with Irié, a Japanese designer working in Paris.[6]
In 1987, Jean Touitou launched A.P.C. (Atelier de Production et de Création) with the menswear collection HIVER 87.[7] The following year, the collection became unisex. In 1989, the labels referring to the seasons were replaced with A.P.C. labels, confirming the creation of the brand located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris.
The first pieces of the A.P.C. collections were inspired by work or military clothes, the preeminence of classic and unmixed fabrics (Shetland wool for instance), as well as voluntarily traditional cuts. The collection would later include the raw Japanese denim. In thirty years of existence, A.P.C. remained independent and developed internationally, with more than 70 points of sale over the globe and 350 employees.
Jean Touitou works alongside his wife, Judith Touitou, artistic director of A.P.C.[3]
In 2015, during the fall menswear presentation, Jean Touitou repeatedly used the "n-word" to present the collection named Last Niggas in Paris (a mix of Jay-Z and Kanye West's Niggas in Paris and the film Last Tango in Paris), a collaboration with Timberland.[8] A few days later, Timberland cut its ties with Touitou, calling his collection "in complete contrast with our values". Touitou immediately apologized for his offensive speech.[9][10]
In 2016, he started a collaboration with the American clothing company Outdoor Voices to create sportswear apparel.[11]
Awards and honors
Philanthropy
Touitou opened a private kindergarten, Ateliers de la Petite Enfance (A.P.E.), in 2008.[13]
References
- ^ "Happy Birthday, Jean Touitou!". 10 December 2011.
- ^ a b c Neuville, Julien (13 December 2013). "Jean Touitou of A.P.C. Says Be Cautious, Expect the Worst and Be Ready to Die". businessoffashion.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
- ^ a b c Meter, William Van (2016-02-29). "Apt. by A.P.C.: Jean Touitou's Parisian Home". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
- ^ "Founder of A.P.C Jean Touitou's Parisian Home". stoy.com. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
- ^ Cooke, Fraser (15 July 2010). "Jean Touitou". interviewmagazine.com. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- ^ "JEAN TOUITOU (A.P.C)". Andam. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
- ^ Schneier, Matthew (2017-08-24). "Its Competitors Make Noise, but A.P.C. Is Happy to Make Clothes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
- ^ staff, T. H. R. (2015-01-27). "A.P.C.'s Jean Touitou Repeats N-Word During Menswear Presentation". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
- ^ Marriott, Hannah (2015-01-29). "Timberland cuts ties with APC after its founder, Jean Touitou, uses the N-word". the Guardian. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
- ^ Woolf, Jake (2015-01-28). "Timberland Pulls Plug on A.P.C. Collaboration Following Founder Jean Touitou's Controversial Remarks". GQ. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
- ^ Wray, Adam (2016-02-16). "A.P.C's Jean Touitou on Beauty — and Coming to New York". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
- ^ ANDAM Jean Touitou A.P.C. Archived 2014-04-07 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Jean Touitou". businessoffashion.com. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
External links
- Rules of Style from Jean Touitou Phane Gallois, details.com January 2008
- 20 odd questions to Jean Touitou, The Wall Street Journal, March 2011