How A Frenchman Upgraded American Style

When Pierre Mahéo speaks, it’s with a particular eloquence that’s singular to French natives who learned precise English through that country’s rigid education system. He expresses himself with more clarity than most Americans and converses with words that many of us forget to incorporate in our daily speech. His exacting use of verbs and adjectives is imitated in his designs for Officine Générale, the Parisian menswear label he founded in 2012, which takes its cues from the grand traditions of American sportswear but hits the racks filtered and elevated by Mahéo’s cerebral definition of the genre. This praise must by now be familiar to the 41-year-old. It certainly comes as no surprise to Officine fanatics, hardcore junkies from the start, or the fashion press, which instantly minted Mahéo a runway darling. One might say I’m late to the table—uh, breathless brand profiles saturated the blogosphere two years ago!—but I feel like I’m riding the Officine train at just the right time: Today, no one could argue Monsieur Mahéo is just a flavor of the month, a critically praised designer who lasted about as long as Hedi Slimane at Saint Laurent (or, for non sartorial insiders, Ryan Lochte’s sponsorships). Read more at The Daily Beast.