Here we are! It’s time to introduce you to our women’s capsule collection.
First of all, I wanted to thank everyone who wrote to support us , whether by email or comment. I didn't expect to receive so much encouragement, so thank you from the bottom of my heart!
There are still 2164 of you who have registered to have news on these three pieces! A craze that gives us strength and confidence for the adventure that is this launch.
As you may know, at BonneGueule, we like to go into details and, if you have never read a launch article from us, it may surprise you.
Indeed, I want to give you all the keys to understand our clothes, but also those of other brands. So there will be a lot of photos and explanations.
With this article, I asked myself the following question: what information would my friends need to buy jeans or a shirt? Then I wrote this article. That's also the BonneGueule experience!
Here we go to present our jeans, our shirt and our jacket.
But first: a little summary!
Our Candiani selvedge canvas jeans
Our Candiani selvedge canvas jeans
We start with a big piece, our very first pair of women's jeans .
To fully understand these jeans, I need to explain 2-3 things to you first.
Already, it is a selvedge canvas…
Understanding a selvedge canvas in 2 minutes flat
Ah, “selvedge”…
This word is so sacred among lovers of workwear-style clothing.
Maybe you've heard your boyfriend/fiancé/husband swear by this word...
Why so?
To put it simply, selvedge symbolizes the quality of denim fabric made the old-fashioned way , on old, slow looms before they were replaced by ultra-modern machines.
In fact, there was a time when denim fabrics were woven on shuttle looms.
A loom.
The shuttle is this elegant wooden object that literally goes back and forth across the entire width of the roller. and which allows the warp and weft threads to intertwine to give life to a denim fabric.
And it is these incessant back-and-forths which, on the edges of the canvas, form a woven edge on itself… a woven edge “self edge”…
Here is the famous border which symbolizes a whole philosophy of a durable material which acquires a patina over time.
And that's how the word selvedge was born. There are other selvedge colors, but historically, red is the most common!
And that's not the only special feature of this painting.
Since these are old machines, they weave much slower than today's air-jet looms. Six times slower to be exact .
And this slowness means that the canvas presents some small irregularities, this famous unique grain specific to selvedge canvases. This is the whole soul of selvedge , it is what gives it personality.
But then why aren't all jeans selvedge?
Back when you needed tough jeans for crafts, making heavy selvedge canvas was a necessity . And shuttle looms, all located in the United States, were perfect for the job.
But when jeans became a more "fashionable" garment, demand exploded. Jeans were needed in quantity, cheaper and requiring less durability.
This is where modern industrial looms came in: much faster, weaving rolls of fabric twice as wide as a selvedge loom, with much finer fabrics than selvedge.
At first glance, it is certainly more comfortable, but it really doesn't last as long .
And that's how high-speed industrialization led to a decline in the quality of denim fabrics and relegated shuttle looms to the closet...
And anyway, no one needed jeans as sturdy as they used to.
Nobody left? Really?
While shuttle looms were nothing more than the vestiges of a glorious past, a few diehards refused to give up on a good old selvedge fabric, that pretty fabric that ages so well...
These people were Japanese people who were passionate about vintage and Americana . They were the ones who brought selvedge back to the forefront. And it took a lot of hard work to create a 100% Japanese selvedge canvas in the 70s.
But that's another story, which I already told when our Kurabo canvas jeans were released.
Look at this beautiful red border! Now compare this photo with your regular jeans and you will see the difference!
In short, selvedge represents the victory of slowness, irregularity, but also robustness in the face of ultra-industrial denim fabrics with no roughness, no soul and are thinner (therefore less solid).
Our Candiani canvas is therefore a somewhat special blend since it is composed of:
- 67% cotton
- 26% flax
- 4% elastane
- 3% elastomultiester
It is in particular this addition of linen - extremely rare in a denim canvas , I would like to point out - which gives this fabric even more irregularities and infinite nuances.
As you can see in this photo, this canvas takes the light beautifully...
As for elastomultiester, it is a completely new fiber that allows the fabric to have quality stretch (I'll come to that in a moment).
A canvas that will relax over time
By the way, when you try it on, the fabric may seem a little stiff, but don't panic, it will relax. That's for sure.
It just needs to get used to your body. This is a step well known to denim purists.
This canvas will patina very nicely over time.
After half a day of wearing it, you will feel a clear increase in comfort , and after a week or two, it will be like a second skin.
The advantage of a raw canvas is that it will fade beautifully over the months that you wear it.
We really wanted to offer you jeans that become more and more beautiful as they age , and not the other way around.
I look forward to seeing pictures of your naturally washed jeans!
Candiani, an Italian supplier that produces selvedge
The Japanese are no longer the only ones making selvedge. Candiani also produces it, but in its own way…
When we came to film Candiani, I was able to visit what I call "the treasure room": a huge room filled with several shuttle looms producing selvedge.
A selvedge loom, the kind of old machinery that Candiani continues to use.
Moreover, as soon as you enter the room, the machines make a very particular noise, which is different from modern machines, to the point that the son of the Candiani family made a piece of electro-rock music out of it...
So I saw authentic shuttle looms, except that Candiani had "pimped" them. I wasn't allowed to take a picture, but let's just say that Candiani mechanically modified each loom to preserve them and improve their reliability.
Gianluigi and Alberto Candiani, father and son! Gianluigi has worked hard to upgrade Candiani fabrics. As for Alberto, he has added an ecological dimension to the manufacture of the fabrics.
We wanted a very beautiful selvedge, certainly, but very comfortable. And that's good, because stretch selvedge is precisely one of Candiani's specialties , they were pioneers in this direction, even if it meant alienating a few denim purists.
Their expertise in stretch is mainly reflected in their mastery of "recovery", namely a stretch that returns well to its initial shape once it is worn, and which does not form bags everywhere.
And that's just ONE facet of Candiani's incredible work.
It's a great company, a pioneer in "clean" jeans, and we went to film them to make a report (the only one in French):
There would still be a ton of stories to tell you about Candiani: the family transmission, the technologies invented to recycle water, the dyeing under nitrogen, the project of biodegradable jeans, the location of the factory in the middle of a natural park and the responsibility that falls to them to preserve this place…
To learn more, and to avoid this article being three kilometers long, I invite you to read the presentation of Candiani where I tell about my visit to their factory , at the time when we created our gray selvedge jeans.
Let's get back to our canvas, and now let's talk about its weight.
Yes, a pair of jeans can be weighed , and you will understand why that is important.
Understand the weight of a denim canvas in 60 seconds flat
You'll see, nothing too complicated here and you'll be able to impress your other half when you take their jeans in your hands.
What does a "13 oz" canvas mean for example?
This is the weight of the canvas!
Indeed, among denim addicts , we judge the thickness of a fabric by its weight, expressed in:
- "oz", the abbreviation of "ounce" in English, or "once" in French, which represents approximately 28.3 grams
- per square yard, also written "square yard". A yard is almost 1 meter, (91.4 cm to be exact). So a square yard is 0.83 m2.
For example, we write "13 oz sq yd", and as a shortcut, we finally ended up writing just "13 oz".
Everything would be simpler if we talked about grams per square meter...
On our jeans, it is an 11.75 oz canvas, which has a very good compromise between flexibility and resistance!
So, among selvedge denim fans, we classify selvedge canvases into three categories:
- "Light" weights: below 11 oz , it is considered a light canvas, all things considered. Indeed, compared to a non-selvedge canvas, it is much more resistant!
- "medium" weights: between 11 and 16 oz , very common weights for men, but which make jeans not very comfortable to wear when it's hot.
- "Heavy" weights: over 16 oz . Here, we enter another dimension, with jeans that are difficult to wear, especially when you get close to 20 oz. As an anecdote, seven years ago, I was able to touch and tell my encounter with the heaviest jeans in the world , a 32 oz Naked and Famous!
If it's more durable, why not only offer jeans with thick fabrics?
Sure, a thick canvas offers deeper washes and wears out less quickly, but as I said, it's also less comfortable when you first try it on. It takes a little time to "break it in", like a new pair of shoes.
Women's brands use too little selvedge fabric, even though it is a fabric with a beautiful history.
And the rigid, almost cardboard-like appearance when the canvas is new can frankly intimidate a novice.
So in a feminine market, very few brands risk exploring this kind of canvas.
These jeans are therefore 11.75 oz , so we are on a rather light fabric (and therefore comfortable), more suited to the season.
The more you wear these jeans, the more comfortable they will be.
How did we manage our first women's haircuts?
This is a completely legitimate question! And I'll be honest: we mainly relied on the know-how of our workshops.
Whether it's our denim workshop or the one for our shirts, they make clothes for a number of women's brands, including luxury houses.
These jeans have a semi-slim cut, simple and effective.
They were the ones who advised us on the grading of sizes, or the fine-tuning of our cuts.
And, of course, we had the women on the team try out our prototypes.
That's it for our jeans, it was dense, but I hope you liked it. Now let's move on to the shirt.
Our organic selvedge cotton gauze shirt
For a shirt intended for summer, we chose a very summery fabric: cotton gauze.
During weaving, the intertwining threads are less taut than usual on the machine, which helps achieve that pleasant airy feel.
We turned to Maruwa, this Japanese supplier with whom we are used to working. We like it so much that we actually went to Japan to film it.
And what's more, the cotton in this fabric is GOTS certified . This is one of the most renowned labels that combines ecology and social responsibility.
The GOTS label in 30 seconds flat
Managed by the Ecocert control and certification body, the GOTS label is issued upon audit to manufacturers who integrate the environmental criteria of organic farming throughout the textile transformation process.
From fiber cultivation to spinning and dyeing stages, this label verifies:
- respect for the environment
- traceability of raw materials
- consumer health
- social criteria, such as salary levels or regularity of employment
If you want to know more, I invite you to read the general presentation of the label .
But let’s get back to our proudly GOTS certified cotton gauze…
To avoid having a transparent fabric, it is a gauze that is lined, as if there were two layers of cotton veils superimposed.
All the Japanese know-how is to have given a very soft hand , but with a little irregularity, and an authentic, almost rustic appearance .
Nice little detail: it is a selvedge gauze, therefore woven on old machines (hence the irregularity in the weaving) and the red border is clearly visible on the reinforcement swallow:
Why a cotton gauze shirt?
You can see the airy weave in this close-up. And, yes, the buttons on this shirt are all mother-of-pearl.
Thanks to its weave, it is one of the lightest and most breathable shirting fabrics available.
From those who have worn this material, this is what they say about it:
- It's a very airy material, I've even been told that it almost feels like you're not wearing anything.
- It is also a very soft fabric, very pleasant on the skin
- It is a very versatile fabric, which can be worn in a very casual outfit with shorts or a skirt and sandals or in a more formal outfit, such as with a blazer, raw jeans and ankle boots.
It's a shirt that can be worn in a sober way, by tucking it into your jeans.
And I 100% confirm everything that has been said since... I actually wore this fabric on one of my shirts a few years ago.
For my part, I loved this very airy fabric in summer, it is a garment very suitable for high temperatures, a real pleasure.
A white shirt is a neutral canvas to wear with more original shoes.
What No Brand Tells You: How This Fabric Ages
As I said, it's a fabric that I know well and that I've machine washed quite a few times.
Yes, the point of writing a long article is that I can also explain to you how the material ages, in complete transparency.
Let this fabric live!
Well… it ages very well!
At most, there will be a few tiny pills here and there, which are totally in keeping with the Japanese hand of this fabric.
Just remember to iron the shirt well, and above all, after ironing, let the fabric "live".
This is not a generic, stiff poplin, the fabric will take on relief when you wear it.
It is a fabric made for the sun.
I'd like to be honest with you: if you want a shirt fabric to wear only with formal outfits to go to work in an office, this might not be the shirt I would recommend.
Our olive Maruwa twill kimono jacket
A pair of jeans, a shirt, and all that was missing was a third piece to complete our first women's outfit.
This is a lightweight jacket with a kimono collar. Why this choice?
Because I find that a kimono collar evokes fullness and serenity on a garment…
The pockets echo the stitching on the collar. And a belt is also included with the jacket.
Then it's up to you to have fun!
On a jacket with a kimono collar, it was clear that a Japanese fabric was needed . And that it should be olive-colored because, not only does it recall nature, but it is also so easy to wear with blue, white, beige, or gray…
A fabric from Maruwa (again!)
To tell you the truth, I love this fabric because it symbolizes for me this Japanese know-how that I love so much:
- it's olive colored and as I've been saying for years, the most beautiful olive colored fabrics I've seen come from Japan. They are very good at giving them a subtle "vintage" tint.
- This fabric has a grain and irregularities, which gives it a real wabi-sabi side…
Wabi what?
Wabi-sabi! We've talked about it a lot on BonneGueule, it's a Japanese philosophy that we really like . It advocates a naturally imperfect beauty, like the bark of a tree or a few dead leaves on the grass. A natural, simple and sober beauty.
It's a very rich concept and to go further, I recommend this excellent book which can be read in less than an hour .
And it’s this whole concept that we wanted to transcribe with this fabric…
The trick is that there is a neppy thread used when weaving.
A neppy thread? Don’t panic, I’ll explain everything to you…
This is a type of yarn that we have already worked with last April. During weaving, it consists of using a yarn from which some cotton particles stand out, which gives a nice texture.
Like selvedge, it's the kind of fabric that you rarely find in women's brands, even though it's a material with soul and character.
In terms of quantities?
I'm going to be transparent with you: this is our very first attempt at women's clothing, so it was clear that we didn't want to take any risks.
So there are:
- 200 jeans
- 200 jackets
- and 150 shirts
Usually we order much higher quantities, so there is a high probability that the sale will be quick , but I repeat, we did not want to take any risks.
Because I tell you frankly: I have no idea how quickly the stocks will disappear, I don't know if it will be in several weeks, several days or... in several hours .
Small hint: with experience, I noticed that when the presentation article generates more than a hundred comments in less than 24 hours, you should generally expect a rapid flow. So you just have to monitor the number of comments on this article while waiting for the sales to open.
AND that's not all! The surprise continues: for each purchase of one of the garments from this capsule in our stores, a bouquet of dried flowers 💐 will be offered to you. Cool, right?
How to get the 3 items of clothing from this women’s capsule?
Visit our stores in Paris 3rd , Lyon and Bordeaux or on our e-shop :
