Maison Kitsune

Music has always crossed paths with fashion. But music being embedded in a brand’s identity is a whole different animal. This is the case for Maison Kitsuné, a Parisian fashion brand founded by Gil Loaëc and Masaya Kuroki.

Maison Kitsuné was born in 2002 as a record label, when Loaëc managed the French electronic music duo Daft Punk. On the other hand, Tokyo-born and Paris-bred Kuroki was an architect who worked at a vintage shop next to the record store that Loaëc managed.

It was during a trip to Japan when they conceived the idea of creating a fashion label. Loaëc was then overseeing the making of Interstella 5555 by Daft Punk, and Kuroki went along to help as a translator. The duo saw how fashion and music fused in the country, and as they say, the rest is history.

          

They brought the concept to life and released Maison Kitsuné’s first ready-to-wear collection in 2005. Over the next decade, Maison Kitsuné opened boutiques in major fashion cities and collaborated with the likes of Pierre Hardy, Oliver Peoples, and Shu Uemera.

Drawing from urban Japanese influences and preppy French style, Maison Kitsuné focuses on eclectic everyday streetwear for men and women—from cool tees and hoodies to classic scarves and sneakers. While often exuding minimalism, the garments carry striking graphics and contemporary colorways.

The founders may be hard at work on their fashion line, but their music label, Kitsuné Musique, gets equal attention. The Parisian fashion brand has also branched out to build a chain of coffee shops, Café Kitsuné.

Then again, the brand’s spirit animal is the fox—”kitsune” in Japanese—which perfectly reflects their shape-shifting business. Bringing such a dynamic vision, this is one fashion house to watch out for.