Our new exclusive linen pants, crafted from a Maison Hellard fabric

Sometimes, it’s when you come across a particular fabric that you tell yourself you absolutely have to make something out of it, even if the collection plan is already quite full.

For these pants, we came across an absolutely exceptional linen that was a perfect fit for our “Atelier Collection” line. As a reminder, the Atelier Collection features small-batch clothing lines where we prioritize the highest possible quality in both fabrics and craftsmanship—as is the case with our shirts made from Japanese fabrics, featured here in this video.

And believe me, you don't make linen pants like these every day.

I could have told you that with this linen fabric, we were trying to avoid the usual pitfalls of this fiber, that we didn't want linen that was too rustic and coarse, and so on.

No, none of that!

It's just that I fell head over heels for this gorgeous linen—it has a sheen I've rarely seen before. And because it weighs 360g/ml, it holds its shape beautifully and has an incomparable feel.

We found it at Maison Hellard. But before we tell you about the fabric, we need to introduce you to the company that makes it. Because you can't really understand these pants without knowing about it.

Maison Hellard is a young French fabric company founded in 2021. It is a textile manufacturer specializing in linen—which is already a rarity in an industry dominated by wool. And behind it all lies a journey and a vision that explain everything else.

Nathan doesn’t come from the textile industry. He’s a former army officer. But at the same time, he’s always had a passion for craftsmanship, textiles, and the art of tailoring—a world he found difficult to break into coming from a military background. He explains to me that he has always been drawn to the presence and fit of military uniforms, and that this fueled his appreciation for the art of tailoring and, more broadly, for elegant clothing.

It was while working for luxury fashion houses that he made an observation that would stay with him forever: the linen fabrics offered by the major fashion houses were lacking something, which stood in stark contrast to the care taken in creating wool fabrics. This is all the more paradoxical given that France produces linen fibers renowned throughout the world.

There was something to be done: take an exceptional raw material and showcase it as it deserves.

Choosing linen isn't the easiest decision. It's a fabric known for being difficult to work with: it wrinkles, it has a "vacation" vibe, and it requires real technical skill.

Nathan could have gone with wool, silk, or cashmere, but he chose linen precisely because no one was tackling it with ambition in the tailored clothing segment.

And because, for Nathan, the world’s best flax grows in Normandy—for very practical reasons: the climate (humidity, temperature, and sunlight) and the soil there are ideal for producing long fibers, which is the foundation of high-quality flax.

Traceability is guaranteed by the Normandy-based organization Terre de Lin, which makes it possible to trace the product back almost to the farmers' families.

Nathan realized that his project didn't fit with the way French weavers worked, so he turned to Italy.

He works with a small family-run weaving mill in southern Italy that specializes almost exclusively in linen. Originally, about thirty years ago, it mainly produced upholstery fabric. Today, 95% of its production is linen.

This single area of specialization is a true mark of quality:

• no cross-contamination, since no other fibers pass through the machines,
• expertise focused on a single material, including dyeing and finishing,
• and a rare degree of flexibility regarding minimum order quantities.

That’s what makes an exclusive color like “Jardin Provençal” possible—a shade developed for the Sainte-Victoire capsule collection in collaboration with Lafayette Saltiel Drapiers, a Parisian institution that supplies the leading tailors with haberdashery goods and, above all, incredible vintage fabrics.

Virgile Viret runs Lafayette Saltiel (LSD to those in the know), and he’s one of the most passionate people I know when it comes to sartorial fabrics—and he has impeccable taste!

Now that we're familiar with the house, we can go into more detail about the fabric.

For these pants, we went with the “Jardin Provençal”: a 100% sanforized linen weighing 360 g per linear meter—or 240 g/m²—in a 2x2 twill weave. That’s a substantial weight for linen, and that’s precisely what makes it so appealing…

At this weight, the linen sags much less; it holds its shape on the leg and maintains a clean silhouette. This is Nathan’s signature style, reflecting his military background: he wants drape and structure.

Usually, there are two types of linen you'll find in high-end products:

• Irish linen, which is thick and has a plain weave—so it’s fairly basic—and can sometimes be a little stiff,
• Italian linen, which is lightweight but can lack structure.

Maison Hellard sought a third approach: a dense yet supple texture.

In fact, Nathan told me that he’s already been asked if there’s any silk in the blend. There isn’t any—it’s 100% linen. But it’s very beautifully crafted linen!

The twill weave gives it a very elegant look—nothing like a basic canvas. But above all, what a luster! And that brings us to the topic of color…

The color we chose is “Jardin Provençal,” an olive green. Virgil Viret, of Lafayette Saltiel Drapiers, describes it as “the perfect olive,” and that’s no coincidence: it’s the first color Maison Hellard ever worked with.

They wanted an olive color that wasn't too forest green, but not too military-looking either, and here's the result.

It’s part of a color palette that defines the brand’s signature style: blues, greens, and beiges. It’s a limited palette that draws on the colors of nature—the forest, the earth, and the sky—but in every case, the shade is just right, and everything is beautiful, which made choosing a color difficult—we were truly spoiled for choice!

Is it Nathan's military background that gave him this penchant for natural tones? Surely!

You’ll see that this fabric catches the light beautifully—that’s the famous luster I described above. The density of the weave also contributes to this luster, in addition to giving it that “substantial” feel and softness. Because, yes, Maison Hellard linens are much softer than thick Irish linens.

In short, Nathan wanted to give his fabrics a natural sheen, but without making them look too shiny.

These pants are priced at €350. Yes, this linen is (much) more expensive than average, and here's why.

The price is determined by the entire supply chain, not by a single factor:

• a long-staple French fiber,
• a spinning process that produces a uniform yarn,
• a specialized weaving mill that accepts small production runs,
• a custom-developed color,
• a meticulous finish.

But the most compelling argument comes from Nathan himself: once tailors touch and work with the fabric, the discussion about price comes to an end because the quality is immediately apparent to the touch.

In addition to the beautiful fabric, we've brought back the drawstrings on these pants for their elegance and understated style—and to let you adjust the fit perfectly to your liking.

We’re also working with hollow darts for the first time (they’re neither outward nor inward—they form a hollow), which provide a great deal of comfort and ease around the thigh while maintaining an elegant silhouette.

And on the inside of the pants, you'll find the beautiful illustration from this collection sewn onto the left pocket.

The Assat pants have a comfortable straight cut, similar in fit to the Poetto pants you're familiar with.

We recommend that you choose your usual size.

The clamping arms allow you to tighten the device to approximately a certain size.

Here is the detailed size guide:

Like our shirts from the Atelier Collection, these pants are produced in quantities that are too limited to be available in our stores AND on our online store.

And since this is a product you really have to touch and try out,we've decided to sell it exclusively in our stores.

There are fewer than 100 pairs of pants spread across 5 stores, which means there aren't many sizes left at each store! Don't wait too long if you like these pants.

If you can't come to the store, feel free to call them to make a purchase over the phone.

Please feel free to ask us any questions in the comments section of this article or on our Discord.