L'Atelier MXG: Denim Jackets Win this Summer
A long, perfectly ripped and faded denim jacket has served as my Summer closet staple.
I bought it the night before traveling and haven't been able to leave the house without it since. A great denim jacket, like a fitted leather jacket, is never a bad investment.
As the founder of this platform, I spend a lot of time online searching for upcoming artists, new brands, people doing things differently, and fresh ideas. I came across L'Atelier MXG and fell in love with their ability to finally find a new twist on the Pop Art meets Pop Culture trend that's been floating around for a while.
Instead of just a cliche image of David Bowie on a plain white T shirt, you get a hand crafted, meticulously put together David Bowie/Drake hybrid, painted on the back of a perfectly cut, possibly vintage, revived denim jacket.
We spoke to L'Atelier MXG's founder Margaux Alix-Gardet, on building a brand around a single wardrobe essential.
Do you have any previous fashion design background or experience? Where did you study/work?
I come from an American mother and a French father. I grew up in Switzerland and moved to London at the age of 17 to be a part of an innovative and dynamic environment. I studied fashion, photography, painting and so many different types of arts at London College of Fashion and Chelsea College of Art and Design. I then moved on to get my masters degree at Sotheby’s Institute in Art Business.
How did you get started started with L'Atelier MXG?
The art world is a very male dominated one, and I understood early on that I would never be able to find my ‘spot’ and didn’t manage to find a team who could recognise my drive and eagerness. I was making jackets at home for fun, and kept getting asked about them in the streets, so I decided to go ahead and commercialise them.
Why the focus on jackets, specifically denim, and when did your passion for streetwear develop?
I’ve always been sort of obsessed with jackets. I guess most women spend their savings on shoes and bags, but I’ve somehow developed a huge jacket collection. I chose to work with denim because as an eco-conscious company, I focus on denim revival. Which means that as opposed to investing in the production of new garments, we hunt down vintage dealers across the US to get our hands on the best pieces. The market is flooded with garments and more and more production, which is actually killing the local textile industry in places like Africa and Latin America. Denim is also a natural material which never goes out of style.
Based out of London, do you have a store or do you only sell online and what are your future plans for l'Atelier MXG?
To be absolutely honest, I have no idea. I sort of see it as a living thing and hope to let it organically grow and evolve into what it is meant to be. I currently only sell online and in Bon Génie department stores in Switzerland.
For orders click through to their website or check them out on Instagram @ateliermxg. They were lovely enough to create a Promo Code: RAD20 for us for 20% off any item. Happy shopping!
“Jeans represent democracy in fashion.”
