AVANT Magazine is a biannual magazine founded by Eric Maggiori. It focuses on the relationship between clothing, history and its impact on our current society.
In this third issue, An Anthology of French Workwear, we dig into the history of France with a particular focus on workers, farmers, and peasants during the 19th and 20th centuries.
We converse with Tom Gruat, one of the leading references in French workwear, as well as Denis Bruna, chief curator at the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris, and Frédéric Marc Marion, vintage dealer and collector of French workwear. We also speak with six French workwear experts in Japan, who explain why it has been booming there in recent years.
We visit Euro-Costumes, a costume rental company in Pantin near Paris, and meet its owner Pascale Bourtequoi, who built a colossal stock of antique clothing. Along the way, we decode the details collectors love — how to recognize buttons on a French hunting jacket, and what moleskin really is.
