Tailoring is firmly back on the agenda this season, as many of us return to the office following months on end of WFH. Currently on our inspo boards? Emily Ratajkowski and Kendall Jenner, who are mastering the art of oversized suiting.
But while both women are known to be fans of The Row, it’s actually an emerging vintage brand that’s behind some of their best tailoring looks to date. Havre Studio, founded by Madeleine Frandsen at the start of pandemic, has fast gained a cult following of its one-of-a-kind men’s suits, which are restored and refitted for its primarily female customer base.
“It’s [all] happened really by chance,” Frandsen, whose designs have also been seen on the likes of Elsa Hosk and Imaan Hammam, tells Vogue. “I moved to Mexico City with my boyfriend in late 2019 and stumbled across some tianguis (open air markets), where they sell used clothes. So I scavenged through those because I’ve always loved flea markets and then I started taking some of the suits I bought to a seamstress. We would practice Spanish together about twice a week and we’d kind of experiment with these old men’s suits.”
At first Frandsen, who now lives between Mexico City and her home in Copenhagen, was upcycling the suits for herself. But when she started getting interest from her friends, the business student launched an Instagram account, where she would take orders via DM. “It was very much a passion project to begin with,” she explains.
When the pandemic broke out, Frandsen wondered how she could support the seamstresses she’d developed friendships with. “I [was working with] three seamstresses at that point, and they just lost all their income from one day to another,” the designer says. “So we decided to see if we could sew more suits. Fortunately, there’s been demand for it and we’ve managed to scale up production and hire more people.”
Currently, Havre Studio sells its refitted suits in regular drops (the last sold out in 10 minutes), with cropped blazers and mini skirts, as well as contrasted suit jackets, featuring in its offering. “We tried to experiment a bit with the silhouettes,” Frandsen remarks. “I remember cropping a blazer just because I thought it looked nice when you can see the waist, and then we [made] a skirt with the rest of the residue fabric. I think there’s something about taking something so classically masculine and making it a bit feminine.”
Sustainability, too, is at the heart of the brand’s zero-waste ethos, and definitely part of the appeal for customers. “[These] men’s suits were made to last: men had them tailored especially for them; they have their names in them,” Frandsen says. “People like that the pieces are unique, they have a story, but also, of course, [people like] the quality and the fact that it’s sustainable and made properly.”
Havre Studio hopes it can continue the tradition via its refitted vintage suits. “I really want to make something that you’re going to have for ages and maybe even pass down day,” Frandsen concludes.
Source: Vogue