In Mister French Cancan forever.

When did you start to get into clothes? Where does this passion come from?

I collect vintage clothing since I’m 14 years old… First, I started buying in the middle of the 80’s, 50’s letterman jackets and old denims. I was born in Tours (250 km south of PAris) and during my schoolboy and student life I bought fabulous stuff in a vintage shop called “Chelsea”… His owner Omar was a nice man !!! I REMEMBER THIS SHOP WITH NOSTALGY … At that time, new wave and rockabilly were on “the air”, music and cinema really motivated style and way of life for me and my friends… I was soon really independant and earned money all the summer with small jobs…Soon all that money was spent on old stuff... At the age of 16 I started to play Doublebass and I played with rockabilly bands all the weeks…I was found of 50’s suits, flap pockets gab shirts, belted ricardo and horsehide work jackets that I wore for my performances and all days long…greasy hair, old penny loafers and large selvedge cuffs (approx 20 cm) on my jeans…OH YEAH… London and Tokyo were the PLACE… and price for vintage clothing started to be very high…Young French Cancan lived in the 50’s, ate 50’s, made love in the 50’s…I studied art in school and spent all my free time in London where, in Camden Market we could find fabulous treasure for nice prices… One of my best US 30’s leather was bought in an indy shop for 30 pounds… it was in 1987/88…and even Christian Audigier, I worked for, was really impressed by the quality of this old jacket :-)…Time after time I collected older and older stuffs (40’s,30’s, 20’s…) to finaly trying to be specialist to the end of 1900th century to WWII …Of course clothing is not my only passion… I also collect art, music, furniture… About the origins…I don’t really know how is born this passion…probably my latin roots, probably because my mother did’nt have enough money to buy me expensive brands and should have found best in old, maybe because my father lived in africa when he was young and I spent my childood in a house with african collectibles and trophy like the “FINCA VIGIA” hemingway’s house in cuba…and probably because nothing could be best than the OLD BEST…”OLDIES BUT OF COURSE GOODIES…

Your young blog French Cancan what is it about exactly?

French Cancan is a vintage bureau de Style for collectors or curious people… I don’t wan’t to give any lessons (Other collector’s blogs do it for me). I just want to file the best I have, had, look for and find on the world, with my international friends who also collect or sell…NO CONCEITED… only fun, passion and old good taste...

How would you describe your style? What are your main influences?

My style is the style of a 40 years old young guy obsessed by the good balance of fabrics, colors, styles… I can change my clothes 3 or 4 times per days if I found that my pants are a bit not in harmony with the leather laces of my old boots… Today the best for me is the gold digger/worker dandy style of the last century (1800th of course…)… industrial gentleman with used strong taylored and customised clothing…I love subtility and elegance in scaliness !!!!!

For how long have you been collecting? Does your collection follow a particular direction?

I've been collecting for 25 years…And day after day I hunt with more and more persistence… a part of my day is intented for old collectibles and to find new ones… by anyway… Best influences are in the european roots style in the old and new continent…in the US at the begining of the 1900th all the best tailors were european of course…french, dutch, german…denim makers, leather makers… I use to collect more and more antiquities instead of vintage probably because at 40 years old you start to become an antiquity too…

Do you have some legendary pieces that could appear in a Rin Tanaka or have you sold everything to John Gluckow, the pope of vintage?

Of course yes and hopefully… even If I sold and use to sell the best I found to buy japanese incredible copies…copies you could’nt find in originals today because too old or in museum… I still have a few originals 30’s and 40’s leather jackets (not a lot compared with approx 80/100 models I ‘ve sold and I‘ve sent worldwide…vintage leather jacket was a real obsession…), 40’s work, western, gab shirts…gab jackets, suits, boots… About Vintage leather jackets, they have always driven me mad…in particulary the grizzly jacket. I’m proud to be one of the first guy who has worn this motorcycle "pimp style" jacket 15 years ago, with the original 40's "laskin' lamb" model. Oh yes !!! I still have some…In the 90’s with my best friends Stéphane and Jose, we bought old stock of a vintage shop in the south of France (Cap d'Agde)…30’s; 40’s and 50’s US vintage clothing… We could have opened a fabulous store but finaly we sold the stuff one by one and also today, we still have some clothes in our dressing rooms…Lost of those collectible jackets, shirts, and denims were sent to japan or the US…go back home…

You could find on French Cancan blog ‘regreting things’ posts where I file all the best stuff I sold during all those years…In fact I don’t regret anything… What I live for is the next and not the last… even my original 30’s shawl collar sweaters and cardigan…I finaly sold last year;-).

Have you ever wanted to have your shop?

I never wanted to open my own shop…I’m a painter and illustrator and my business activity is a passion and offer me enough time and money to be free… absolutly free…for my family, my friends and FOR ME…my music and my passion !!!!!!!! I need’nt anything else… French Cancan and all my contacts in the vintage clothing society really satisfy me… I met fabulous guys thanks to this passion. I have all the best I could dream…

You sell a lot of original pieces to buy Japanese replicas? Do you have some favorite brands for certain type of clothing?

Yes I sell the rarest stuff I found to win money to buy for me what I always dreamed to pocess…A1 jackets, wabash, brown beach style, 30’s denim…and of course all those dreams are replica… But japanese replicas are not for me replicas…They even could be best than original… yes man…same fabrics, details…everything is true and everything is for FRENCH CANCAN in the good size and in good condition to be one day in the perfect bad condition, worn by “bibi”… My best japanse brands are Bootleggers/Freewheelers(the best!), with Toyo, there is no surprise (Sugar cane, Buzz…) ; cushman for only few things (specialy sportswear), Mc Coys of course…but too much stenciled for me…

And, if you would choose to have a piece of clothing between your hands now, what would it be?

I think I had in my hands all I really dreamed to have…but If I really insist…HMMMMMMM… Yes …a civil buttoned A1 model, natural color, mandarin collar, menlo style, but with folded back , two waist pockets and a third buttoned one on the chest… Yes … DO YOU HAVE ONE IN STOCK MAN ?

Unfortunately not, but thanks a lot for your time Mr FCC.