The Comeback of a Cult Chevignon is back on course

CHEVIGNON THE COMEBACK OF A CULT

The fact that Thierry Henry, a style icon and the manager of AS Monaco, and Jamie Hewlett, a member of the Gorillaz, wear Chevignon jackets is a statement in itself. Anyone who witnessed the era of the great brand cult in the 1980s knew that its comeback was only a matter of time. This year, Chevignon is celebrating its 40th anniversary and is looking to the future progressively. With a highly motivated team under the direction of Hélène Viot Poirier. Text: Isabel Faiss. Photos: Chevignon

Ever since Hélène Viot Poirier took the reins at Chevignon, the brand has been performing well.

Two and a half years ago, Uwe Deinert’s Cuore Tricolore became Chevignon’s sales representative for the German market. He believes the collection is on the right track, an opinion which is underpinned by numbers. “New materials make it possible to re-interpret the iconic jacket models from the archive. At the same time, the collection is focused on its core competence: Upper Body.” To mark its birthday, Chevignon is not only celebrating treasures from its richly filled archive, but also its own success story that is now really gaining momentum. CEO Hélène Viot Poirier has a clear vision.

Hélène, Chevignon is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year - a sign of consistency, one might say. However, that’s not the reality experienced by the company over the last few years. The frequent ownership and management changes have hampered the brand quite significantly. Where do you stand now?

Since the last change of management 18 months ago, the brand has performed encouragingly by recovering with growth and reducing costs at the same time. In addition, we have already managed to convince the 18 to 35-year-olds to return to our stores. This target group now represents 40 percent of our customers in stationary stores and 50 percent online. We have renewed our collections, decreased the number of references, and drawn inspiration from our archives. We even relaunched the women’s collection with a small capsule collection consisting of leather and down jackets, complemented by t-shirts and sweatshirts for autumn/winter 2019. According to our retail partners, Chevignon is back among the top three in terms of sales increase. Thanks to this strong recovery, the brand has created excitement and attracted new premium collaboration partners such as Antonia of Milano, 032c Lifestyle Magazine, and The Good Life Magazine. Others will follow to mark our 40th anniversary.

When creating an anniversary collection, it can be tempting to look back. Will it be a tribute to the iconic Chevignon jacket models of the 1980s and 1990s?

Fond memories: Chevignon has earned the right to be called a cult brand.

The autumn/winter 2019 collection - the anniversary collection - will be filled with stories and memories of mythical inspiration sources such as cowboys, soldiers, and adventurers in pieces that made the brand famous: do wn jackets, fly jackets, and teddies. Our know-how will be highlighted in a transparent jacket, as well as in a combination of a gummed leather jacket and a down jacket. We will also communicate the origins of Chevignon: a French brand created in Paris and born in the streets.

What are your goals for the start into the next 40 years?

In the coming years, our growth will rely on wholesale, as well as digital and international development. Upstream work has started already by designing specific products with a strong DNA and reinforcing our network of partners. The 40th anniversary is an excellent opportunity to communicate, work with a growing number of influencers on social media, redefine the brand, and the image territories. Chevignon is working on several significant collaborations for winter 2019.