Like a lot of my menswear meetings, it all started with a tweet. Monsieur London drew my attention to their pop-up store at Box Park in Shoreditch, and invited me into see first hand what they were up to when I was next in town. No offers of gifts or champagne, just a good old fashioned – hey pop in, this is what we are about. And wow, Monsieur did not disappoint.
The store is small with the emphasis on a finely-curated collection of high-quality men’s accessories laid out in a well-thought out manner – a gentleman’s club corner with bow ties and decantered whisky, why not? Co-founder Valentin, a French gentleman in its truest sense, talked me through the brands commitment to selling fairly priced pieces that are locally sourced and are made using traditional methods. The result? Long lasting products that outlive fast fashion, but without designer price tags either. Monsieur London are not about the quantity, they are about reusing and recycling instead. From pocket squares to hats, leather weekend bags to colourful bow ties, this is the hide-out for the dapper gent, and the girl who dresses like him (or at least tries to!).
There is no scrimping on the detail – if you want gloves, then you will get gloves. The finest gloves. In fact, all of Monsieur London’s gloves are handmade in Milau in France, using traditional techniques that have been passed down by artisans for centuries, from the trimming of the hide to the final stitches. These boys will be retuning to France for Christmas, so pop in to their pop-up before they take their stories and passions back to the other side of the Channel – oh, and excuse my photographs they don’t do any of it justice!
