Ciao!

We've reimagined one of the most iconic clothing articles in the world, exploring every aspect from form to material, using the best yarns and expert Italian workmanship.

Our Marinières are created on a hand loom operated by an expert knitter in her atelier a few km from Venice. We produce batches of 99 pcs in limited editions, just four times a year.

Before we get into the details of our marinieres, I'd like to share how the Atelier Mariniere project was born.

As far back as I can remember, I've always had a striped shirt in my closet. Whether short-sleeved, long-sleeved, heavy or light, I can't remember a moment that I didn't own at least one. I'm not quite sure why, perhaps it's because my mom grew up in Paris, or maybe it's because I simply love stripes.

My work as a designer leads me to be obsessive about details and fit, and this obsession left me frustrated by the marinières that were on the market. To my eye, they appeared too "common", unfashionable, overly tight and often too warm for the summer. Also, the low quality materials used made them uncomfortable to wear.

So I promised myself that one day I would create the perfect striped shirt, the one I've been looking for my whole life. It would be soft, with a loose fit, something I could wear in the city as well as at the beach, in the evening or in the morning. The neckline had to be unique, and the materials of the highest quality.

In 2023 I will be 40 years old. What better occasion to honor the milestone of 40 than by jumping into a totally new project? So I decided to dust off my idea of a truly special marinière.

First step: Find a knitter who could make a loom-knit Marinière based on my design.

A few months earlier I had met Betty, who had taken over the family knitwear factory. I decide to contact her to see if she could fulfill my wish. A few days later I headed over to her workshop, located a few kilometers from Venice's lagoon. We chatted about my idea and she helped me create the first model. After several fittings and test models, we finally achieved the form I'd been hoping for.

Second step: the Marinère was almost perfect, but I knew that it could be further improved by using a more exclusive and high quality organic cotton yarn, making it soft and suitable for all seasons. So I headed off to Pitti Filati in Florence, the international fair dedicated to yarns for knitwear. I shared my plans with several companies, collected yarn samples and finally chose a small Italian company that I felt was perfect for me. They produce everything in Italy with a strong ethical and ecological bent, exemplified in their use of non-polluting dyes. So I placed my first order to test the various yarns.

While Betty was making the first prototypes, I threw myself into all the behind-the-scenes work involved in creating a new brand. There was plenty to do, from designing the logo to creating the online store, from searching for suppliers to planning the packaging and ensuring the economic sustainability of the entire project, interspersed with plenty of playtime with my young daughter, who was overflowing with curiosity about her daddy's latest project! Wherever possible, I have tried to document all of these steps, so I can share the whole creative process and the obstacles I encountered with you.

When creating a product in very limited quantities, it's important that each piece is unique, so I learned to embroider by hand to create the lettering on each shirt…at first it took me a lot of time, but now it's much better :)

In the meantime the first prototypes have met great success among friends…they really liked the oversized fit and the versatility of use, and the distinctive super wide neck made them an instant hit.

Designing three Marinières each season gives me time to do a lot of research, finding interesting stylistic solutions and producing a high quality garment, which I hope will become a favorite in your wardrobe.
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  • OJ & Me

  • Our chief assistant, Mr Pino