(Re)discovery of Chevignon
Before seeing the product tests, it is necessary to understand what this brand is that we all think we know. This time, we have not one, but two interviews...
Eric Venel, Managing Director of Chevignon , will discuss the history and current challenges of the brand. To give you an idea of the difficulty of positioning Chevignon, I encourage you to read the "about" page of the official site , which nicely (and very accurately) summarizes all the difficulty in managing a 35-year-old brand image.
Yoann Le Creuer, Artistic Director of Chevignon (who previously worked for the tailoring section of a large luxury house) will explain to you in the video above with a certain frankness his job as AD: what he likes, his way to work on, his vision of the brand and he will end with a small focus on shearling.A quick history of Chevignon...
Birth of Chevignon in the Avignon region
Everyone knows Chevignon, at least by name: this brand is an institution on the ready-to-wear market, a key player anchored in the history of French fashion for almost 35 years .
Indeed, the beginnings of Chevignon date back to the end of the 70s, in the Avignon region .
At the time, Guy Azoulay, its creator, decided to revisit a bomber jacket by twisting it with a leather insert. The year is 1979, that's when the brand was created. The name comes from a friend of Guy's, and the latter decides to borrow it because it sounds good: it will therefore be "Charles Chevignon".
Portrait of young Guy Azoulay, with a dreamy look and in old school fashion.
1984: creation of Tog's
It was in 1984 that everything changed: the essential "Tog's" model was launched, under the "Tog's Unlimited" label .
This model was THE must-have for teenagers in the 90s : the down jacket, in 100% feathers.
At the time, in terms of cool attitude, there was no equivalent ( Supreme and APC didn't exist yet!). On the other hand, they had to spend hours of babysitting to afford the famous model with the ducked logo: 1,000 francs at the time, so not within the reach of just any schoolboy!
The Tog's down jacket gang at the laundromat!
Growth... a little too fast
From then on, the textile company experienced impressive growth and turnover took off. Chevignon prospered and exported itself across the Atlantic by opening a boutique on 5th Avenue in New York in 1990... Numerous points of sale also emerged in France; but it's the sun before the storm...
Subsequently, cigarettes were marketed by Chevignon. They certainly won't last long poor people (come on, admit that it's good, right?), because they will only be available from 1992 to 1993: concretely, it's a failure . A failure that will leave its mark!
At this precise moment, the brand lost its way slightly, and forgot what made its success by wanting to diversify too quickly : it went from children's clothing to cigarettes... Good mothers (who logically decide on purchases for their toddlers) have not really embraced this risky range expansion.
At the same time, the laws governing cigarette advertising and the first smoking bans were introduced: we are in 1991. It was therefore crucial to stop the sale of its cigarettes, but the brand really damaged its image. with this controversial episode.
Cigarettes made in Chevignon... A real relic!
The consequences of the bad buzz of Chevignon cigarettes
As a result, things are going badly at Chevignon, and the company is suffering a large deficit . Turnover falls from 100 million euros to 50 million euros, in just three short years...
We must find a solution, a savior. It was then that Patrick Pariente arrived, at the time co-president of Naf-Naf, who decided to buy Chevignon in 1994.
Finally, the two companies will be bought by the French group Vivarte (formerly André) in 2007. You should know that Vivarte is a group which has been going through a deep crisis for 10 years and which has just announced the closure of 200 stores (mainly on the La Halle brands), which further adds to the difficulties of calmly repositioning the brand.
Finally, 2009 is the year of revival for Tog's: it comes back in force . Feather, however, has given way to down, which is, on average, four times more expensive . But the fundamentals are still there.
The different Tog's models in store today. There is something for every taste !
More recently, the year 2011 marks another renewal: Chevignon offers itself an entry into the temple of hype: Colette.
Today, the brand's flagship products are essentially leather jackets and jackets, Tog's and accessories . Chevignon's positioning revolves around different inspirations: an American Dream side, a desire for freedom, wide open spaces, a certain "rebellious attitude".
The brand is aimed today at the man who remains casual, the urban adventurer who is a little rebellious ; in short, a little vintage style for adventurers proudly displaying their three-day beard.
The challenge for the brand is considerable: it must continue to please its loyal and nostalgic customers of the era who have now aged. Without forgetting the youngest: the next generation which represents a market to absolutely conquer.
The Chevignon Man of our days: virile and adventurous...
In a second article, we will test the brand's two emblematic pieces: the Tog's down jacket and the Chevignon bomber jacket.
