In a short amount of time, French designer Clément Traverniti has managed to make a bold impact on the streetwear landscape of his home country and an impression around the globe, thanks to shrewd marketing and a commitment to his singular vision.

 

Founding  Still Good in 2012 having spent time honing his skills under the likes of Dries Van Noten and the house of Kitsuné, Taverniti has applied an eye for clean, on-trend design to his own work, building each collection from the last, growing exposure organically through collaborations with like-minded brands and artists. Still Good's latest offering for Spring/Summer 2013 references the abstract expressionism of American artist Barnett Newman, with subtle embellishments that ultimately mean the collection remains wearable. On a mission to link a casual, street-ready aesthetic with a higher-end frame of mind, Clément and Still Good will undoubtedly see big things ahead, this year and beyond.

 

Jack Smylie: Tell us about your background in fashion, prior to founding Still Good.

Clément Taverniti: I studied fashion at ESMOD in Paris and then I worked for Dries Van Noten and Kitsune before launching Still Good during Summer 2012 - but fashion for me has always been very important, I've always had in mind to have my own brand since I was a child ! My father was in the business developing his own brand during the '80s and my mother was a painter, so I've always been in this artistic world. 

 

JS: What was the motivation behind founding the brand?

CT: The passion I've always cultivated for fashion. I really wanted to do something I like, you know I really didn't want to be forced to work for someone and not get the recognition etc… My aim was really to enjoy what I'm doing everyday. Even if it's a lot of work I really understood that if you want something, then with passion and motivation you can get what you want and enjoy your work life. And more precisely I wanted to bring a new creative brand, trying to be innovative, reinterpreting all our wardrobe classics, so a creative and easy to wear brand at the same time - I love the mix of culture, street and high end fashion 

 

JS: Have you faced many difficulties establishing a small label amidst the economic conditions in Europe over the last couple of years?

CT: I have to say that it has been really tough to establish a new brand - as the economic climate is really bad in Europe, people stay quiet and don't really spend a lot in clothing, they are much more conservative and stores don't really want to take risks. That said I have found some good support from nice select stores and that's very encouraging. To face this difficult climate I really try to do something different, by developing innovative and creative clothing and coming up with conceptual marketing with LE MUR BLANC, an artistic network where artists can come to share their work on the space of the website. It is a place to find new talented artists, to do a collaboration with them and try to make them a bit famous through the brand.

 

On the other hand, being alone trying to manage everything is very tough, that's quite impossible to get everything done perfectly as I would really like, so I first put all my efforts into the core of the project, the creative direction for the clothing line, and try to get all the others parts done as perfect as possible, like the look book, the commercial part, the communication/press part etc…  And finally, trying to establish my own brand without money is quite impossible… but I'm doing it, and, as I said, with passion and determination you can do what you want. There's always a solution to your problem. 

 

JS: Still Good's designs tread the line between what is essentially streetwear, and a higher, more refined aesthetic. Would you say that is reflective of the streetwear scene in Paris at the moment? 

CT: Im not sure that it is reflective of the streetwear scene in Paris; I'm just doing what I really love to do. I always had in mind to create a brand with the mix of those two cultures using a mix of fabrics, trying to break the fashion rules, like doing a shirt with jersey sleeves to wear like a sweater but with the elegance of the shirt. But I'm really noting that (French) people are more and more looking for something different, new and fresh, so French brands are now trying to be more and more creative mixing cultures following the new consumer expectations.

 

JS: I think it is clear to see the influence of you working for Dries Van Noten and Kitsune in your collections, regardless of how casual the overall style is. Do you feel that the skills you picked up at those labels have transferred logically when it comes to Still Good designs?

CT: Definitely yes. I have learnt a lot on how Dries Van Noten works his collections, I have met a lot of passionate people, and working with them has just been very enriching. I've been very inspired by the work of Dries. At Kitsune I really learnt about this mix of making a very classy and elegant garment and to wear it with this street attitude that makes the difference .

 

And so naturally I have found my own style, bringing my own vision of fashion, always trying to add a detail and a cut that will make the difference, so yes, Still Good designs are all about innovation and creativity but always easy to wear. I really want to bring this street attitude to a classy and modern garment, breaking the rules, put together two elements that were not meant to be together and create something unique - always wearable.  So I will always bring this idea mixing the fabrics, mixing the universes in order to create a unique style and identity like a real designer. I really enjoy wearing the clothes I'm making so I try as much as possible to attract people wearing them!  I really want to make people happy! And it's also interesting to see how people will appropriate the product itself, you have many different ways to wear my clothes and I like that, each one can feel very confident and stylish at the same time, all we want when we buy something new, reflecting our own identity and personality. Be unique!!! They'll look different but they will always look Still Good!!

 

JS: How important are collaborations to Still Good?

CT: I really think collaborations are a very good way to make the brand more famous, I mean, if you manage to collaborate with a cool established brand like I did with Spring Court. It's also important for people, for the customers to understand where you want to place the brand in the market, it can very quickly give them the image of the brand and the positioning of the brand. 

 

But moreover, doing collaborations are also about the passion of working together with another design team, mixing our ideas and creating something very unique, that's very exciting! Collaborations are finally very interesting when the two brands are complementary, a clothing brand with a shoe brand for example, the clothing brand has this different vision of fashion that can make the product different and the shoe brand has the credibility in the market with all the "savor faire" to realize the perfect product. That's amazing!

 

JS: Where do you look to for inspiration in design?

CT: I'm simply a fan of modern art, graphic design, abstract art, painting etc… so I really see a good link between this art and fashion. I always find something interesting in the work of these modern artists that will give me the inspiration to create a new style for my collections. For example for Summer '13 I've been working around abstract expressionism, and more particularly I've been inspired by a genius artist, Barnett Newman, all his work with stripes... minimalist art really gives me the inspiration to conceptualize the collection. So you will see different work around the stripes, the color block, patchwork and a lot of yoke technique, always working on the subtle details. 

 

JS: What does 2013 have in store for yourself and Still Good?

CT: Look for a nice range of shirts and jackets for the new Spring/Summer season, a very interesting, clean and innovative collection like never seen before!!  A nice collaboration with Ebbets Field Flannels for a caps capsule collection, and later a nice collaboration with Ronnie Fieg…… and a few more surprises!!! 

 

www.still-good.com

 

Jack Smylie