Many brands that have embarked on a “quality at the right price” positioning have been successful, such as Hast and Maison Standards .
This is what we hope for the young brand Le Pantalon, which aims to offer quality chinos at affordable prices.
But what are Le Pantalon brand chinos really worth? To find out, I met Olivier Gaudéchoux , the founder of the brand. It traces the origin of the project and its intention. After that, you will discover our truth test on the quality of chinos.
Meeting-portrait with Olivier Gaudéchoux, founder of the brand “Le Pantalon”
When we see Olivier for the first time, we wonder where his affable smile and his serenity come from.
At just 26 years old, he worked in the Web marketing department of Le Figaro; and at the end of August 2014, he launched “Le Pantalon” which gained a good reputation on the web. Olivier told me about the genesis of the project: "Many of my friends were wondering about the pants and their colors, or couldn't find what they were looking for."
This remark came back to him often (almost a little too much in fact) and fueled an observation: "it's really difficult to find your way among all the offers. What I want is to facilitate accessibility to a room simple, classic and elegant in all circumstances.
Fight against the “H&M, Zara reflex”
It's true, who hasn't experienced this reflex of H&M or Zara when dressing?
This could be a bit like what I call the “McDonald’s reflex”. You know, that funny moment when you're hungry and the only solution available to you for something to eat is to go to McDonald's, just for convenience's sake.
Only, if you had made the little effort to wander around a little longer, you might have found something better, who knows?
It's beautiful, it's fresh, and it makes you want to taste something other than a sundae, right?
Real research and prospecting work
Olivier wondered and decided to delve deeper into the world of fashion and clothing: “I went to visit several showrooms to get my own idea of the cuts, materials and intentions of the brands” .
Throughout his discoveries, he notices that something is wrong: “The colors are not highlighted enough and the pants are expensive” . There is a lack of balance between quality and accessibility.
This is how, in 2011, Olivier began his prospecting work. A year later, he had an astonishing idea: “I bought all the domain names possible and imaginable (around fifty) from those that can touch clothes”.
A cunning strategy, but faced with this conquest, our Attila of domain names stumbles upon two little words that resist him: “le” and “pants”. The rest of this acquisition will only be a question of time and perseverance.
More or less, Olivier told me that he watched the film “300” to prepare for combat. “This is The Pants!” Yes, behind them are the other domain names.
A win-win positioning
Back in France after a fruitful trip to India, Olivier thought carefully. His business plan is ready, his positioning is clear: "I want to create a decent product, so that everyone can get it at the right price (79 euros)
After this reflection, Olivier chooses his own workshop and his fabric suppliers, which he chooses sparingly, after having visited many showrooms. From then on, several prototypes of chinos will undergo endurance tests. That's it, the Le Pantalon brand was ready to be launched, but a website was missing. Olivier designed it alone with the means at hand and his training in Web marketing.
The site, all in sobriety.
Chinos or nothing
Between the end of August and mid-September 2014, 500 pieces were sold; and this, without much communication (" lack of time") .
But how can we explain this rapid success?
“ I took the gamble of choosing more expensive inserts and taking the highest quality finishes that were offered to me, which reduces the profit margin” says Olivier.
Before continuing: “ these are pants that can be worn everywhere, and the brand wants to maintain this mono-product control” . In this way, " young dynamic 25-40 year old" customers do not have to wonder about the cut, they just have to choose the color they like and that's it!
As for whether the range will evolve, Olivier doesn't rule out anything: " there will perhaps be pieces with other materials and other colors; but for the moment, I prefer to concentrate on precise know-how before considering it . As he says, the feedback on his pants has been very positive.
All we have to do is test it to form our own opinion!
Test of chinos from the brand “Le Pantalon”
The Trousers are based on a simple motto: a large choice of colors, a single cut, and a fair price.
Here's a simple look with an R&B finish to the face for the beard (more complicated to do). Benoît doesn't understand why I persist in keeping my boots on in summer. (BG Linen Shirt - Chino Pants - Combat Boots Timberland)
Regarding the colors, there is something for everyone: from the lightest to the darkest. From this point of view, Le Pantalon presents more than 15 colors : from basics (navy blue, beige, khaki) to more original colors (rust orange, electric blue, pastel yellow, etc.).
For this test, I chose two chinos: one rust orange and the other khaki.
Elastane ensures a certain comfort and good hold.
Note from Benoît: khaki is really nice, and the cut is very good for casual, easy to wear looks. Rust is more colorful and will go easily with an outfit with a more sober shirt.
Concerning the material of the chinos, we are in cotton twill (97%) not very thick, with 3% elastane to adapt to all body types (even muscular thighs).
The Italian canvas comes from a high-end selection : it is stretchy, soft, and very comfortable from the first wear. We do not know more about its origin (name of the weaver)...
Doesn't that make you want to touch the screen?
Note from Benoît: this fabric with "stripes" (cotton twill) on a very fine and slightly raised bias is characteristic of high-end Italian chino fabrics. Precisely, the more marked they are, the more high-end it is (in general)!
If this choice of stretch material was made, it is to overcome the size problem that we have all encountered sooner or later. In my case, I wear the chinos in size 38 (French sizing). Everything has been designed to facilitate the choice and avoid the slightest doubts and questions about the size.
The cut of the chinos is semi-slim , well fitted to the thighs and a little looser up to the bottom of the ankle (leg opening = 18 cm). The waist is slightly low, for a modern style. The chinos are very easy to put on and are light. It's the kind of piece that you can wear with sneakers or ankle boots. For a summer outfit, you can also wear Italian-style pants, that is to say rolled up at the ankles, to highlight the shoes.
Here is a summer outfit idea. The energy of the color orange is softened by the serenity of blue. (Hartford shirt, Chino Le Pantalon and BonneGueule x Buttero sneakers).
In terms of details, there is no change from what is usually found on high-end pants. For starters, the side pockets are reinforced with a bartack, there is a metal YKK fly and the back pockets are piped.
The bartack reinforces the strength of the pockets. We can also see very clean stitched seams which add a little relief, and give a more artisanal touch (Note from Benoît: we call these "AMF" seams after the name of the machine that produces them).
The loops are neatly sewn. We can also notice the V comfort at the waist, for more comfort and its stopping point.
Classic asset of a chino, the famous piped pockets. If you have a lot of imagination, you can also see a face!
The metal fly is signed YKK.
All these finishes constitute the basis for making good entry-level chinos. Let's move on to the slightly more elaborate details, which can be spotted in high-end chinos. This includes clean stitching, a lined and bound interior, a V-shaped center back, a triple-button closure with a button tab, and a tang.
The lined interior includes liberty flower patterns which brings a pleasant touch of originality.
There is a clean base, which ensures good maintenance of your masculinity. The pockets are deep enough and above all they are soft, once your hands are inside. Still good points.
The interior seams are taped, a detail that we appreciate at BonneGueule.
There is a double button placket, which provides better support for the pants. This is another detail that is rarely found in chinos.
Here is the pin which is located above the fly, and which keeps the belt in place (by allowing the buckle to be blocked).
It doesn't seem like much, but all these finishes require additional steps in making the piece, and this entails additional costs. I was surprised to see so much detail in a piece, especially considering the price . We are really looking for chinos that can bring a lot of comfort and freshness to your summer looks!
Here are two examples of simple, but effective outfits: a shirt (Hartford), colorful chinos (Le Pantalon) and a pair of sneakers (BonneGueule x Buttero).
Conclusion on the chinos from the brand “Le Pantalon”
These chinos are a very good surprise! The quality of the fabric, the diversity of colors, the effectiveness of the cut, the comfort of the piece and the details of the pants demonstrate a rare and commendable quality! We can only validate the excellent quality/price ratio of the Le Pantalon brand chinos.
For 79 euros
Normally, such a part costs twice as much. For that alone, Olivier's bet is successful: to provide access to a high-end piece at the right price.
Note from Benoît: excellent brand, with a simple and effective offer, at the right price. Consider that it really is the Hast of the pants!
