Come visit our first pop-up store!
JOIN US DURING PARIS MEN’S & COUTURE'S FASHION WEEK
AT AZ FACTORY’S FIRST POP-UP STORE!
We are thrilled to invite you into our very first experiential space, a place that feels and looks like our own Factory, the space where we design, develop and market all our product stories – we even brought in our own furniture and design objects from the HQ at Fondation Cartier!
As a digital native project focused on community and collaboration, we are excited to welcome you to an IRL (“in real life”), tactile experience designed with all our Amigos in mind, from customers to industry partners.
This first physical retail space will be a channel between all of you and our online platform, and serve as a multi-functional venue – showroom, musical lounge, bookstore and shop – showcasing all our current exciting projects.
Our first three Amigos – Thebe Magugu, Ester Manas as well as Cyril Bourez – will be joining us at the pop-up store throughout its first week, and for the first time, we also look forward to hosting additional talented creatives from the worlds of homeware, fragrance, music and beyond to introduce to our community in this special space.
The pop-up store will be a joyful mix & match of fun, fashion and friends, and we are excited to welcome you through our doors, between June 21st and July 8th. We can’t wait to see you!
HIGHLIGHTS
AZ Factory with Club Domani
Club Domani started off as a party: born at Milan’s legendary Plastic club, it introduced a new genre of clubbing to the city, built around futurism and androgyny, disco and house music. Resident DJs and art directors Sergio Tavelli and Andrea Ratti have also worked as sound designers for fashion shows, and produced musical events in Milan, London, New York, Paris and beyond.
Join us on June 21st to celebrate La Fête de la Musique with Club Domani, between 5 and 12pm.
AZ Factory with Thebe Magugu
Based in Johannesburg, Thebe Magugu launched his namesake womenswear label in 2016.
In 2019, he was the first designer from the African continent to win the LVMH Prize for emerging talent, before being selected as a finalist for the International Woolmark Prize, a historic competition that has previously honored designers including Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld.
Thebe Magugu was also one of the 45 designers to pay tribute to Alber Elbaz in AZ Factory’s unprecedented “Love Brings Love” runway show in October 2021
Join us on June 22nd to view a special Q&A with Thebe Magugu and fashion students from Stadio, Polimoda, and Head.
Note: the Q&A will also be livestreamed on Instagram (@azfactory)
AZ Factory with Ester Manas
Launched in 2019 by former La Cambre students Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre, Ester Manas is a sustainable and inclusive fashion label, celebrating women of all shapes and sizes.
After professional experiences at Balenciaga, Paco Rabanne and Acne Studios, and empowered by the female empowerment movement, the creative duo started the brand with fierce & joyful women in mind.
Having gained recognition from the prestigious H&M Design Award, Hyères Festival, LVMH Prize and ANDAM Prize, Ester Manas is deemed a size inclusivity pioneer in the fashion industry today.
Get ready for June 23rd and discover our new AZ Factory with Ester Manas collaborative product story !
AZ Factory with Cyril Bourez
Brussels-based Cyril Bourez is a former La Cambre student, with experience at Christian Wijnants, Jacquemus, Paco Rabanne, Y/Project and Acne Studios. Specializing in menswear, his work re-interprets and explores themes of masculinity and traditional gender codes.
In 2017, Cyril’s graduate project won the Best Overall Collection Award at Moda Portugal Fashion Design Competition.
He describes the collection as a tribute to the iconic pieces that made him dream of making fashion, meeting the garments he used to wear as a teenager.
Join us on June 23rd to meet the newest Amigo to step into the Factory: our newest product story will be available to shop immediately.
AZ Factory with Maripol
Maripol is a French-American photographer, filmmaker and stylist.
A longtime collaborator of Jean-Michel Basquiat (Downtown 81), Grace Jones and Madonna (Like a virgin) among many others, she is known for her iconic Polaroid shots, which she started taking in the late 1970s and which hold significant cultural relevance today.
Her Polaroïd prints will also be available for purchase at the Pop-up as well as reinvention of her iconic jewelry.
AZ Factory with Benoît Béthume
Art director, photographer, consultant and stylist Benoît Béthume has collaborated with fashion houses including Prada, Lemaire, Marine Serre, Patou and Ester Manas and over the decades, has been adamant about upholding his personal beliefs without being swayed by trends in the fashion industry.
Beginning his career as an intern at Citizen K, he later became the magazine’s fashion director, before collaborating with many key fashion titles worldwide.
In 2012, he launched his own bi-annual bookazine “Mémoire Universelle”, then erotic fanzine “The Shy Guy” in 2020, in collaboration with illustrator Claire Detallante.
Join us on June 25th for the launch of the 4th edition of The Shy Guy between 5 and 8pm to celebrate Pride Walk, discover Claire Detallante’s serigraphs and support the It Gets Better Project.
The It Gets Better Project is a global non-profit that reaches millions of LGBTQ+ youth each year through inspiring media programming, educational resources, international affiliates in 19 countries, and access to an arsenal of community-based service providers.
With a premier youth ambassador program and a growing library of free educational resources, tens of thousands of high school students are engaged through It Gets Better EDU programming every year.
AZ Factory with Amigas
We are thrilled to invite AZ Factory Amigas to the Amigostore, to introduce their work to our fashion family. Join us throughout the pop-up period to discover more!
Marion Vidal – Interested in drawing, dancing and music from a young age, Marion initially chose to pursue architecture, before shifting to fashion.
She launched her eponymous ready-to-wear and accessories label in 2005, then dedicated her full attention to jewelry.
Her avant-garde collections are made by hand with French and Italian artisans, and assembled in her Parisian atelier-boutique.
Emilie Lisi – The founder of Atelier Brume is a multi-faceted ceramics, art, design and embroidery creative, who seeks to explore relational value beyond form.
Her ceramic compositions are produced in an atmosphere of continuous experimentation, with the fragility of the material suggesting direction, shape and color.
Olivia Bransbourg – The French New York-based founder of multi-disciplinary creative space Iconofly has been creating singular artistic and olfactory projects since 2006.
After being appointed Creative Director at the Takasago laboratory in New York, Olivia developed unique projects for perfume brands until 2015, before conceiving Sous le Manteau in 2016.
The label is now present in 17 countries, and was nominated as a finalist for this year’s Indie Fragrance of the Year Award.
