High-fashion loves a worn-in look. Rick Owens offers distressed denim for over $1000, Balenciaga is selling basically destroyed sneakers for nearly $2000, but never has a fashion brand done what LGN by Louis-Gabriel Nouchi has just done.
Yep, the Parisian fashion brand has just released t-shirts and crewneck jumpers with printed-on sweat stains, making literal the ‘sweatshirt’ name that we so often take for granted.
There’s a bit ring around the neck, and even under the pits. I can smell it from here!
The t-shirt costs EUR 195, or about AED 800, while the crewneck will set you back EUR 325 ($350), or about AED 1300. Both come in grey.
It’s pretty gross, but who knows, maybe this is the next trend.
This isn’t even an assumption. “Round neck sweatshirt with sweat stains printed on it,” is how the item is described, with the shirt the same. The official name is the “T-SHIRT WITH SWEAT PRINT”, so clearly they know exactly what they are doing.
“Wearing this to first date,” commented Vandy Junghoon Son, designer and found of the fashion label Vandy The Pink.
“Fashion is just making things up now,” commented Instagram user Sulimanvc.
“I can get this free by running 5 minutes!” added Frances Cociello.
The item is described to have a round neck, dropped shoulders, ribbed edges and a regular fit. It’s made in Portugal of 100% cotton, and has instructions to ‘wash gently’ presumably because you might accidentally wash off the sweat stains you paid the premium for, and have to make your own.
Louis-Gabriel Nouchi: A history of pushing boundaries
The brand, founded by Nouchi in 2017 in Paris, has a track record of breaking the mold, especially after his collection last fall caught the attention of the fashion community after being overtly influenced by American Psycho, and even had models with fake blood splattered on their faces on the runway.
“I was shocked when I first read [the book], and I loved having a reaction,” Nouchi told Vogue in 2022.
“But this is about twisting the code of toxic masculinity we see in the book and making it our own.”
Perhaps the sweat stains are also a comment on toxic masculinity?
Who is Louis-Gabriel Nouchi?
The official account of the brand’s story is as follows:
“LGN was founded in Paris in 2017 by Louis-Gabriel Nouchi, offering a new vision of elegance through a contemporary lens. At LGN, the silhouette becomes an intersection of classic tailoring and sportswear, grunge counter-culture and traditional savoir-faire, granting the wearer a new freedom and connection to what they wear. Rejecting traditional gender norms, our clothes embrace unisex forms, for pieces with precise, fluid cuts adapted to modern ways of living.
“Reflecting its founder’s lifetime passion for reading, each collection pays homage to a book or writer who has inscribed their vision on the world.
“Quality products, transparent means of production, and honesty are at the heart of the label. With its unending pursuit of better source materials leading to partnerships with European luxury good manufacturers and leading textile groups, LGN is an invitation to a new relationship to clothing and our way imagining of fashion.“Having trained at the prestigious ecole des arts visuels de la cambre, after medecine and law studies, Louis-Gabriel Nouchi began his career at vogue Paris and followed by Raf Simons in the prolific fashion pioneer’s design department. Louis’ contemporary take on cut and silhouette went on to earn him a nomination at the Hyères festival in 2014, where he was awarded the Camper and Palais de Tokyo prizes.
“Now widely recognized for both his commercial and creative ability, Louis-Gabriel Nouchi has launched capsule collections with Galeries Lafayette, La Redoute and, more recently the honoured heritage french luxury accessories brand, Agnelle.”