A.P.C.’s Jean Touitou and Jessica Ogden on Quilts, Needle Books, and Reviving the Archives

By The Inside Source, Jane Sung
March 8, 2011

Jean Tiltou, Jessica Ogden

French fashion designer Jean Touitou (photo credit: Stephane Gallois), fashion designer Jessica Ogden (photo credit: Johnny Gembitsky)

"Vends et regrette." Sell and regret. This may seem like a strange way to describe one's own retail success, but A.P.C.'s Jean Touitou can explain.

In 1987, French fashion designer Jean Touitou launched the the trend-eschewing, cult French fashion label, A.P.C., a designer clothing line coveted by fashion insiders for its clean silhouettes and slim-cut A.P.C. jeans made from raw, unwashed denim. Almost 20 years later, Jean Touitou joined forces with top fashion designer Jessica Ogden to create the spin-off Madras fabtic collection which, true to its name, is sourced and manufactured in Madras, India. A.P.C.'s newly launched Quilts collection (the second series hits stores this March) was in part inspired by Jean Touitou's hope to salvage wasted rolls of fabric left behind in clothing production. Jessica Ogden was happy to helm this design process.

According to French fashion Designer Jean Touitou, his working relationship with Jessica Ogden has been a collaboration in the truest sense of the word—one based upon a shared focus on tailored aesthetics and tradition. Their mutual obsession with quilts doesn't hurt either. For Jean Touitou, quilt design began with his mother, who would pass on her handmade quilts as gifts, some of which took up to two years to create. Ogden's fascination derived itself from an interest in old and distressed fabrics: "I always want to know the history behind something. I have a curiosity about how things have been made and why they exist."

With full access to A.P.C.'s fashion archives, a privilege any A.P.C. clothing addict would trade her perfectly worn-in New Standard jeans for, Jessica Ogden designs and assembles the patchwork quilts in a process she holds close to her heart. "It's like turning a drawing into a painting and having it come to life by the end. It's very personal," she said. The A.P.C. Quilt Project pieces are then hand-stitched by sewers in Bangalore, India who are trained in Amish quiltmaking (Touitou compares the discovery of this group of quilters to a New Orleans jazz musician stumbling upon a House of Blues in Shanghai).

APC's Spring 2011 Madras and Quilts Collections

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APC's Spring Quilts
Photo Credit: APC
Madras Collections
Photo Credit: APC
Photo Credit: APC
Photo Credit: APC
Photo Credit: APC
Photo Credit: APC
Photo Credit: APC
Photo Credit: APC

In keeping with that spirit, each A.P.C. quilt is numbered to give the owner a sense of exactly how unique it is. Jean Touitou is quick to emphasize that it is the preciousness and scarcity of these fabrics and "not the will of being elitist" that is behind it: "There is only so much of each fabric—20 meters of this, 20 meters of that." He continued, "You know, when you've invested part of your life creating these fabrics, they have a soul and there are stories to tell. When they exist a second time, there's our signature, passed on for generations."

When asked what influences her A.P.C. Quilt Project designs, Jessica Ogden points back to her own history. She credits her Jamaican upbringing as a huge inspiration. "There's something so relaxed about the way people wear the clothes there. There's an ease for everything, being able to pick things up and find how they work in your wardrobe, not needing to follow high fashion, rather, things that have history. People have a real sense of style."

Her mother made clothes for her family growing up, and since then, Jessica Ogden has been perpetually endeared to the idea of sewing. This explains her frequent eBay searches for vintage sewing kits, used needle books, and dress patterns. "I think it's so fascinating to see people's personal needle books; someone's throwaway is your treasure," she said. For research, she also shops eBay for children's clothing and quilts of all styles and periods. "I can't describe what kind I prefer. It's like describing why you fall in love. There's just not one specific type."

Here's what we've turned up using some of Jessica Ogden's favorite eBay keyword search terms:

Dress Patterns

Roll over items for details