ISSUE ONE · MMXXVI THE WORLD'S FIRST FENCING FASHION HOUSE
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TA B D E P T. · I S S U E 0 1
CONTENTS FIVE CHA PTE RS
FROM THE FOUNDER
I
II
III
IV
V
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AT TA C K
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Where it begins.
E A R LY W O R K
008
PA R R Y
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The philosophy
PRESS
012
RIPOSTE
014
En Garde SS26, the first collection.
LONDON
016
MASQUE
022
THE MARKS
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L E S U RV Ê T E M E N T
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T H E F I R S T S I G N E D AT H L E T E
034
BE EN GARDE, THE JACKET
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T H E C O M PA N Y
040
I TA LY
054
LA BELLE
056
The fencing shirts and the Coquille totes.
MAROQUINERIE
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LE POIGNET
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The paintings.
THE WORKS
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THE ROAD TO 2028
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G L O S S A RY
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TA B
D E P T.
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CHA RLOT T E , N C · F O U N DE R AN D C RE AT I VE D I RECTO R T YLEN B U T LE R
TA B D E P T.
ISSUE 01 · MMXXVI
FROM THE FOUNDER Fencing taught me to guard what matters before anyone else agrees it is worth guarding.
Fencing has influenced fashion for decades. It turns up as an aes‐
investor deck. There was no path laid out and no one waiting to
thetic, a reference, a piece of inspiration. But it has never had a
hand me anything.
brand of its own. TAB DEPT. is that house.
The idea was there were always going to be three stages, the way
I had the idea in 2013, when I noticed nobody had built one.
there are three weapons. Foil, épée, sabre. Each has its own
However, I did not start on it for another ten years. In 2023 I
rules, its own timing, its own personality, and all three are still
was at the drawing board, sketching logos, writing slogans,
fencing. That is how I think about athletic wear, streetwear and
working out what would make this brand different and what it
luxury. Different disciplines, same sport.
was going to say. TAB DEPT. began in the summer of 2024, when I put the first
This is our first lookbook. Where we started and where we are going. A new category, a new world, a movement.
collection into the world without outside capital and without an
- Tylen Butler FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR
005
I
AT TA C K Nobody in my family fenced before my brother and I. A blade arrived when I was thirteen and it never left. Everything I have learned since came the same way, by turning up before I was ready and staying longer than was comfortable. I started drawing this brand out in 2023. For a year it lived in sketchbooks and notes on my phone, names I said out loud to hear how they sounded, labels I ordered to see whether they felt real in my hand. Nobody was waiting for it; it was only a vision, a childhood dream. In 2024 I put it in front of people. It had barely been born. It could not walk, it could not speak for itself, and I introduced it to the world anyway, because a thing that stays in the folder never becomes anything. That was the first attack. Everything in this book comes after it.
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TA B DE P T . F I R ST MA ILE R B AG
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TA B D E P T. · I S S U E 0 1
I. ATTACK
E A R LY W O R K Drawings, label samples, mock-ups and the first run of packaging. Here's a look on the process and early stages of the brand, the building foundational work.
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0 4 “ HEM ”
0 5 “ W O R K S PA C E ”
0 6 “ HO O DIE ”
WO V EN LA BEL, S ET AT TH E H EM
CO M P U TER, LA BEL P RIN TER, M A ILER BA G S , K O M BU CH A .
WA S H ED BLA CK 20 2 4
1 0 “ TEE ”
1 1 “ TEE ”
1 2 “ TEE ”
S TATIC P RIN T 20 2 5
S TATIC P R IN T, RED O N WH I TE 2 0 2 5
TH E F EN C ER 2 0 2 4
E A R LY W O R K
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0 1 “ S PEC ”
0 2 “ FL AT ”
0 3 “ L A BEL ”
LEATH ER J A CK ET, C O N S TRU CTI O N D RAWIN G
H O O D I E, F R O N T A N D B A CK
WO V EN , LO O S E S A M P LE
0 7 “ HO O DIE ”
0 8 “ TEE ”
0 9 “ STATIC FENCE R ”
WA S H ED P IN K 2 02 4
BE EN G A R D E 2 0 24
S TATIC LO G O , BLA CK /S ILV ER 2 0 2 4
1 3 “ CA P ”
1 4 “ CA P ”
1 5 “ MAILE RS ”
F ITTED , F R O N T
F ITTED , TH R EE Q U A RTER
F IRS T R U N
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II
PA R RY En garde is the call before a bout begins. Blade up, eyes on what’s to come. Be En Garde is something bigger. I came up with what felt like hundreds of slogans for this brand. Be En Garde (be on guard) is the one that resonated. It’s crazy how adding one word, like “Be,” can change the whole philosophy and meaning of something. En garde is a command in a bout. Be En Garde is how you carry yourself. Be En Garde means be ready for what’s next. Be prepared for whatever comes your way. Be on guard from any negative people, influences or thoughts that try to hinder you from becoming the best version of yourself. Whether that’s in business, relationships, life. Protect what’s yours. TAB DEPT. Not Just a Brand. A Movement.
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PA R I S , F R AN CE · M O DEL K AM S IM O N · PHOTO G R A PH Y @ _ J O S H . WJ
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TA B D E P T. · I S S U E 0 1
PRESS Six publications have run the story, in two languages. These are their headlines, and the lines that came out of the pieces.
U SA FENCING
21 FEBRUARY 2025
Tylen A. Butler started Be En Garde, a fencing apparel brand that encapsulates the elegance and spirit of fencing. INSTAGRAM.COM / P / DGWEI5UNLMW
AXIOS CHA RLOT TE
6 APRIL 2026
How a Charlotte startup is turning fencing into streetwear “TAB DEPT is more than clothing. It tells a story about readiness, discipline, and redefining who belongs in certain spaces.” T YLEN B U T LE R , Q U OT E D IN T HE P IECE AXIOS.COM / LOCAL / CHARLOTTE
QCITY METRO
30 APRIL 2026
Meet the Charlotte fencer turning a niche sport into a cultural movement “When a young Black kid sees someone who looks like them not just competing in fencing but building a whole culture around it, something shifts.” T YLEN B U T LE R , Q U OT E D IN T HE P IECE QCITYMETRO.COM
TA B
D E P T.
COVERAGE
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FASH ION L AW JO U RNAL
19 AUGUST 2026
In Conversation With Tylen Butler: The Olympic-Bound Fencer Who Built the World’s First Fencing Apparel Brand and the IP Strategy Behind It “People can smell authenticity a mile away. They support the real ones, the first creators.” T YLEN B U T LE R , Q U OT E D IN T HE P IECE FASHIONLAWJOURNAL.COM
NOT THE SAME
·
B R A ZIL / PO RT U GAL
3 SEPTEMBER 2026
TAB DEPT: o encontro entre esgrima, moda e cultura “É isso que a torna luxuosa. Não o preço, mas a intenção e o significado por trás dela.” That is what makes it luxurious. Not the price, but the intention and the meaning behind it. T YLEN B U T LE R , Q U OT E D IN T HE P IECE NOTTHESAMO.COM / ZINE
THE Q U INTES SENTIAL GENTLEMAN
Meet Tylen Butler, the Fencer Building Fencing’s First Luxury Fashion Brand “Fencing had somehow never produced a brand of its own, no signature aesthetic, no cultural presence.” E R IC KE I T H , T HE W R I T E R THEQGENTLEMAN.COM / POST
FULL PIECES AT TABDEPT.COM/PRESS
9 SEPTEMBER 2026
III
RIPOSTE Pieces made in Los Angeles, CA. Our En Garde SS26 collection, Riposte. The final streetwear collection before we move into the next phase of the brand.
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RIPOSTE · THE COLLECTION
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TA B
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CHAPTER
LONDON In February 2026 a message came in from Omar Guirindola. He had found the brand online, he wanted to build something with it, and he was under the impression I was in London. I was not haha. We were an ocean apart and neither of us had met one another. Nevertheless, we decided to trust each other and do it anyway. That is still one of the best decisions I have made for the brand. We worked the creative direction out together. Omar shot it and handled models and locations on his side, sent everything over for me to green light, and the rest was history. Three days in March, across the river and up through the West End. No permits, no closed streets. The city kept moving and the camera let it. Omar and his team are professional, likeminded creatives and I enjoyed every minute of it. Omar behind the camera. Aivy on creative direction. Celyn and Nathan in front of it. They have supported this brand ever since, there is more coming, and I wish them all the best in their endeavors.
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LO N D O N · M O DEL CELYN D IZO N · PHOTO G R A PH Y @ G U I R O G R A PH Y
018 LO N D O N · PA RL IAMEN T S Q U A RE , T HE PHO NE B OX
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01
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LONDON · MARCH 2026 · THE FULL TAKE
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15 021
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TA B D E P T. · I S S U E 0 1
MASQUE Photograph of the mesh on a mask, taken close enough that the weave stops reading as equipment and starts reading as cloth. It began as a photograph and was then drawn over, retouched and tuned by hand until the weave held as a repeat. What you are looking at is the thing that sits between a face and the point of a blade. The idea was to show protection as pattern, which is the whole message of the brand in one mark. MASQUE took countless renditions to get right. Editing, reworking the texture, chasing the light until it read the way I wanted. It’s now TAB DEPT.’s first signature print, and it will carry across leather goods, bags, footwear, jewelry, and accessories.
SO U R CE
Photograph of the mask mesh, then illustrated and finished by hand, by Tylen Butler.
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COLO U R
Maroon 800000 on white. One ink.
BAN D POSI TION
0.42 in from the outer trim, head to foot.
BAN D METHO D
Darken. It never knocks out what is under it.
TA B
D E P T.
An interwoven lattice drawn from the steel mesh of the fencing mask. Protection, rendered as pattern.
© 2026 TAB DEPT. All rights reserved. MASQUE™ is a signature print of TAB DEPT. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial application of this design is prohibited.
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LO N D O N · WEST M IN ST E R C R O S S IN G
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LO N D O N · OXF O R D C I R C U S
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TA B D E P T. · I S S U E 0 1
THE MARKS The name was registered early, before most of what we’re building existed on paper. Filing first isn’t caution. It’s the difference between owning a category and renting one. I know one day this will be bigger than me and bigger than the brand. At a smaller scale it already is. That’s why ownership mattered from the start.
BE EN GARDE WORDMARK
REG. 8,377,801
REG I ST E RE D 4 AUG 2026
LUNGING FENCER DESIGN MARK
REG. 8,420,016
REG I ST E RE D 1 SEP 2026
TA B
D E P T.
P R I N C I PA L R E G I S T E R
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REGISTRATION NUMBER
8,377,801 BE EN GARDE, registered on the Principal Register of the United States Patent and Trademark Office on 4 August 2026. The lunging fencer followed on 1 September. MASQUE is filed separately as a derivative work, because the print began as a photograph rather than a drawing.
TA B
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CHA RLOT T E · M O DEL AL ANAH B U T LE R · PHOTO G R A PH Y @ T YLEN S ES
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T HE C O L U M N S
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N INE F R AMES · CHA RLOT T E , N . C
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BL ACK T R ACKS U I T
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E D R I S S N D IAYE · F O IL · T HE O H IO STAT E U N I VE R S I T Y
T H E F I R S T S I G N E D AT H L E T E
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SIGNED MMXXVI
E D R I S S N D I AY E
"An amazing fencer, a real supporter and a genuine friend. He believed in this brand in its earliest stages." - T YLEN B U TLE R
IN HIS OWN WO R DS
I started fencing at thirteen, in Maryland. A full scholarship took me to Ohio State, where I became a twotime NCAA All-American and ranked as high as ninth in the United States. I now represent Senegal on the road to Los Angeles 2028, competing at Senior Grand Prix events across three continents.
BEGAN
Age thirteen, in Maryland
U N I VE R S I T Y
The Ohio State University, full scholarship
WEA P ON
Foil
HONO U RS
2x NCAA All-American. Ranked as high as No. 9 in the United States.
RE P RESENTS
Senegal
CIRCUIT
Senior Grand Prix, three continents
SIGNE D
2026. The first athlete to carry the mark.
TA B
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BE EN GA R DE ®
F U LL G R A IN LE AT HE R JACKE T
HAN DC R AF TE D IN BA R CELONA , S PAIN
BE EN GARDE® FULL GRAIN L E AT H E R J A C K E T
Some garments are worn. This one is assumed. The Be En Garde® Leather Jacket is the physical expression of everything TAB DEPT. stands for. Discipline forged into form, precision rendered in material. Constructed from heavy, full grain leather sourced and crafted in Barcelona, Spain, this jacket carries the weight of intention. Full grain is the highest tier of leather. Dense, structured, and built to age with the person wearing it. To wear it is to guard yourself. Your mind, your spirit, your standard. Against everything less.
MATE R IAL
Full grain leather
MA DE IN
Barcelona, Spain
FRONT · BACK · OPEN
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TA B D E P T. · I S S U E 0 1
LE MASQUE
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ST R I PE
Maroon, off centre, front to back
STAT U S
In development
TA B
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F O U R C O L O U RWAY S
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MONO
01
O R ANGE
02
MA RO ON
03
OLI VE
04
The weave is tooled into the shell rather than printed onto it, so the pattern is something you feel before you read it.
TA B
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039
CHAPTER
T H E C O M PA N Y Seattle. Atlanta. Los Angeles. New York. Italy. Friends of the house, each photographed in their own city, each arriving with an idea that belonged to them. Six directions, one world. My peoples have been showing love and supporting the brand since they first knew about it. I appreciate every one of them. These are the people you keep in your circle and bring up with you as you grow. Never take your early supporters for granted. You never know who’s watching, or how you might end up helping each other.
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LO S AN GELES , CA · M IL AN S M I T H
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LO S AN GELES , CA · M IL AN S M I T H
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REFLECT I VE SWE ATS , S HOT WI T H FL A S H
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AT L AN TA , GA · S AN TANA D O M IN G U E Z
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T HE MA RK , T D REG . N O . 8 , 4 2 0 , 0 1 6
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NE W YO RK , NY · A A S H IK A S O O R AK U L AN T HAK AN
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NE W YO RK , NY · I DALYS S AN T IAG O
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S E AT T LE , WA · KENYA O NW U K WE
THE SET
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051
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I TALY · M O DEL S E B A ST IAN CALEFATO · PHOTO G R A PH Y LO RENZO PA PAGN O
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I TALY · M O DEL M ICAEL A L IMA · PHOTO G R A PH Y LO RENZO PA PAGN O
I TALY · M O DEL S E B A ST IAN CALEFATO · PHOTO G R A PH Y LO RENZO PA PAGN O
I TA LY 055
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IV
LA BELLE LA BELLE is the deciding touch. The score is tied, both fencers are on the last point, and one action settles it. The next collection carries the name because that’s where the brand is standing. This is the luxury phase, and it’s been coming since the beginning. I’ve been sketching and building ideas for it since the brand started, holding them until the rest caught up. I’m not rushing it. A collection like this only works if the construction and the craft are right, and that takes the time it takes. Luxury is the direction we’re moving toward, but it isn’t a departure. Streetwear and athletic wear are still being built. The house grows in both directions at once.
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LA BELLE · 2027
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T H E F E N C I N G S H I RT S
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TA B D E P T. · I S S U E 0 1
CO Q U ILLE TOTE
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·
A RGENT , IVOI RE , NOI R
TA B
·
PL AST R ON BILLFOL D
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C O Q U I L L E · C O L O U RWAY S I N D E V E L O P M E N T
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SIX FINISHES , POTENTIAL COLO RWAYS
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V
LE POIGNET As a creative, I create. I believe that’s the purpose God gave me. Music, art, design, the brand. God blessed my hands, and I intend to use them. So I also paint. Not as often as I’d like, because the time isn’t always there, but when it is, I feel at peace. Abstract is where I say the things the brand doesn’t. Every piece is open to interpretation. My signature is in the wrist. Parries, beats, the way a blade changes line. The brush makes the same movements, and the canvas keeps them. This is what I’ve shown so far. The portfolio keeps growing, and so does the skill.
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EN GA R DE · 3 6
×
4 8 IN · O R IG INAL , 1 OF 1
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B AT T LE RE A DY · 3 6 ×
4 8 IN · O R IG INAL , 1 OF 1
LE POIGNET
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THE WORKS A pair of 36 by 48 inch canvases in acrylic and spray paint, each built over the course of several days. The scale invites broad, sweeping movement, but every gesture is answered by a deliberate one, so the work reads as both momentum and control at once.
EN GARDE
36 × 48 in
The command to take position, before anything has happened.
B AT T L E R E A D Y
36 × 48 in
Each phrase marks a layer of readiness. 構え (kamae) is the ready stance, the body’s physical posture. 警戒 (keikai) is vigilance, the alert state of the mind. 臨戦態勢 (rinsen taisei) is battle readiness, total preparation of body and mind together.
PAINTE D BY T YLEN B U TLE R ORIGINALS, 1 OF 1, NOT REPRODUCED
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TA B D E P T. · I S S U E 0 1
THE ROAD TO 2028 Two things are being built at the same time, by the same person, out of the same discipline. One of them is a brand. The other is a place on a strip in Los Angeles. We’re building a whole new world. A category that didn’t exist, a lane nobody cut before us, and a standard we set ourselves. Not everyone will support it. Some people will watch from a distance and wait to see if it holds. That’s fine. Watch. We’ll keep building regardless. Because this was never just a brand. It’s a movement. Be Ready. Be Prepared. Be En Garde ;)
TA B
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MEN’S ÉPÉE
065
AGE TH I RTEEN
Picks up a blade for the first time.
J U NIO R
Three times State Champion. Three times a Jr. Olympics fencer.
PENN STATE
Letterman.
S U MME R 2 0 2 4
TAB DEPT. launches without outside capital.
2026
First collection manufactured in Italy, Spain and Dubai.
AUG 2026
BE EN GARDE registered. Reg. No. 8,377,801.
SEP 2026
The lunging fencer registered. Reg. No. 8,420,016.
2026
First sponsored athlete signed.
AHEA D
LA BELLE. Leather goods. The luxury line.
2028 LOS ANGELES
TA B
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TA B D E P T. · I S S U E 0 1
G L O S S A RY Every name in this book is a fencing term. None of them were chosen for how they sound.
EN GARDE
The command to take position. The first instruction, and the philosophy.
PA R R Y
A defensive action that deflects an incoming blade.
RIPOSTE
The counterattack that follows a successful parry. The SS26 collection.
REMISE
A renewed attack after the first one fails. FW26.
COQUILLE
The bell guard that protects the hand. The tote.
PLASTRON
The protective underlayer worn beneath the jacket. The billfold.
LAMÉ
The conductive jacket that registers a valid touch. The bomber.
MASQUE
The mask. The print, taken from a photograph of its mesh.
LE POIGNET
The wrist. Where a parry is actually made, and where the brushwork comes from.
TOUCHE
The acknowledgement that a hit has landed.
LA BELLE
The deciding touch in a tied bout. The collection to come.
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COLOPHON
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TA B D E P T. I S S U E 0 1
E DI TO R IN CH IEF
Tylen Butler
C OVE R
Photographed by Tahj Butler · Illustrated and edited by Tylen Butler
PHOTO G R A PHY
Omar Guirindola, London · Lorenzo Papagno, Italy · Joshua Warner, Paris
C REAT I VE DI RECT ION
Tylen Butler and Omar Guirindola, London. Aivy Marimla, London.
COLO U R G RA DING
Tylen Butler
MO DELS
Celyn Dizon · Nathan Fernandez · Kam Simon · Alanah Butler · Sebastian Calefato · Micaela Lima · Santana Dominguez · Milan Smith · Aashika Soorakulanthakan · Idalys Santiago · Kenya Onwukwe
ATHLETE
Edriss Ndiaye
MAN U FACT U RING
Italy, Spain, Dubai and Los Angeles, with other international partners
T Y PESET IN
TAB Piste, Helvetica Neue and Times New Roman MT Pro
E DI TION OF 3 0 0
NO.
TA B D E P T. C O M