Fashion Interview: m0851

This week sees the launch of the 14th edition of Montreal Fashion Week, an event that attracts 10,000 buyers, designers and other fashion industry reps from throughout the world. Yet for all its cosmopolitan appeal, some of the more interesting shows at Montreal Fashion Week are those that showcase the collections of the city’s native designers. Montreal enjoys a reputation as one of North America’s most stylish towns, so AskMen.com sat down with some of the city’s most stylish people to discuss their collections, current trends in menswear, and some timeless fashion tips.

Frdric Mamarbachi is the founder of Canadian label m0851.

About m0851

We’re 21 years old, and we started in Montreal. To this day, everything we make is made in Montreal and most of what we make is exported to Europe, the States and Japan.

We do our own fashion, which is not against what’s happening, but it’s so basic that we look at ourselves in the context of the larger fashion world and ask, “Are we sure we belong here?” Yet people from the outside do see us as fashion. If a product can last 20 years on the market, it can still be fashionable; it’s just a fashion that lasts and not a fashion that’s passé.

In our field most companies try to study the market and choose a branch in the market to take over or to serve. We do it differently. We do the finest product we can and we hope that people like it. We don’t really study markets, we just do the finest we can afford to do -- which is different than the rest of the industry and has given us an identity that people like. People come to us to discover what we’re showing and not to find the mainstream products that are on the market. It does differentiate us and gives us potential to be leaders in the field. This is why we’re here after 21 years -- and in fashion, 21 years is a very long period of time. I think we’ll be here another 20 years mainly because of our philosophy and the way we go about doing things.

2008 men’s fashion trends

I don’t know about the trends, but I can tell you about what we have. We do pieces that come from the past and we do them in a fresh way with a small edge, which shows a little bit of our personality and a little bit of what is happening today. We do hope that any piece we create today will be good 15 years from now. Even today, we still carry products we designed 15 years ago that are still best sellers.

Also, we count very much on the feeling of the product, on the touch -- we try to create soft feelings. Our fashion is not only visual, it also has a feeling that is transmitted to the person who wears the product. While fashion is usually based on the visual effect, we go for a bit more than that. Plus, our products are sold in our own spaces, which also create a feeling. Together both create a certain excitement that is probably unique to us in this market.

Male fashion mistakes

What are some common fashion mistakes that men make?

They try too hard. There’s nothing more beautiful than a man at ease with what he has on. The moment you dress a man in a certain scenario, he may look good, but you see a huge difference between the outside look and the man inside. The most charming is when a man is wearing something he feels good in.

Men’s fashion rules

Should men be bound to the fashion rules established by industry trendsetters?

Absolutely not. I mean, in fashion there are rules, but you can be in fashion without those rules. Ours is a company that does not have rules.

m0851 fall 2008 collection

Our style is to create classic products with an edge. I don’t know how to describe our edge; it’s more a feeling than anything else. We base most of our products on great quality and try not to cheapen the product, meaning it’s not about saving a dollar or two to make it more sellable. It’s about making the finest product we can afford to make, which is very different. In this industry, people usually try to aim for a certain price or market, but we just try to do the finest we can.

Our fall line is somewhat close to what’s happening now -- it’s quite classic in terms of fashion. You will see some military feelings… Fashion always repeats itself and we always go to a certain period in the past and we do it slightly different each time, so what’s happening next fall is a bit military. There is a lot of classicism in the products you’ll see next year. We’ve added a few things that you’ll see with other designers as well, but you’ll see things with an edge with us -- meaning: leather belts over coats, and beaver fur which is a very dark brown and is very short. The products themselves are still very classic: the raincoat, the military cut, or the Columbo, which is the everyday cut. So there’s nothing incredibly new in the product; it’s what you pair it with that makes it fresher.

Most important men's clothing item

What is one item of men’s clothing that is worth the investment?

One item is a cashmere sweater, so that a man feels softer. We do clothing that gives a good feeling instead of just decorating.

Soft fabrics are the most important because most men are fighters; they want to earn a living any way they can and tend to forget softness and niceness. Cashmere is a fabric that when you touch it you can’t help but have a certain feeling in your stomach. Imagine if you feel it all day long. Can this influence our mood? Of course.

Men’s accessories

What are the most important accessories men should wear?

Each person should wear whatever is closest to his personality, so if you feel you want to wear 5,000 gold bracelets on your arm, go for it. At least you’re living your own feeling. A guy who likes to wear a cashmere Tibetan pajama would not feel good in the bracelets. So, it’s not the product that’s important, it’s about choosing what’s closest to your personality.

Male fashion icon

Which public figure has the best fashion sense?

The male icon is the one who’s the most comfortable -- even if it means wearing your pajamas for 10 years. I think it’s about comfort and ease and really trying to show your colors through your comfort and not trying to be something that you’re not.

Nothing is pretend. So in asking someone who the fashion icon is, because fashion is such a fickle world, it’s very difficult to make a parallel with what one believes is the best icon; it can be the bus driver, the guy you saw on TV yesterday who wears a suit and tie… it doesn’t matter.

It’s feeling good and feeling the most like yourself. It’s an extension of your personality. Icons are those who feel comfortable in whatever they’re wearing.