On a video call, Jean Touitou predicted that 2020 will “end up not as catastrophic as we thought at first” for brand A.P.C. Naturally, he had a theory as to why. “Is it because we do clothes,” he asked, “instead of just images of clothes?” Not waiting for an answer, he commented, “Reflection counts for more than substance” in this industry. In the past, he’s likened the situation to a “Warholian nightmare.”
These days, Touitou is coming around to the idea of content, “as long as it’s ‘very personal’ and ‘matter-of-fact.’” He said he’s considering a podcast series in which he and his three kids play a song and talk about its maker; episode one may feature “Arnold Layne,” a Syd Barrett tune off This Is Pink Floyd and the band’s very first single. “Playing music with our kids, nobody can do that but me,” Touitou reasoned. It’s thanks to Jean and Judith’s daughter Haydée that Tim Elkaim shot this season’s look book. She hired him for her magazine, The Skirt Chronicles, before he got this gig. “A virtuous circle,” Touitou called the familial give-and-take.
The brand is coming off a couple of high-profile collaborations, one with Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop and the other with no less of a French icon than Catherine Deneuve. Conceived well before the lockdowns, they probably didn’t hurt A.P.C.’s bottom line. Spring 2021 was designed during le confinement, but the restrictions didn’t preclude a sense of whimsy. The oversized jeans with off-center button flies that first made an appearance last season returned here, and the same treatment was applied to a raw denim mini. All of the button-downs were buttoned up to the top and finished with a thick gold chain worn high under the collar. In one case, a chambray shirt was accessorized by three chains. Bags, too, were shown in multiples. They must be betting that we’ll be more mobile again next year. Here’s hoping. But if not, at least we’ll have that famille Touitou podcast to listen to.
