Figaret Paris, The French Shirtmaker Reimagining Its Heritage

Renowned for its precise cuts and understated elegance, Figaret Paris has built its reputation on the uncompromising quality of its materials. Its founder, Alain Figaret, was driven by a desire to source only the finest fabrics—travelling as far as Egypt to bring back the most refined cottons. It was his house that first introduced Sea Island cotton to France, often referred to as the ‘cashmere’ of cotton, prized for its long, silky fibres.

Originally a family-run business, Figaret Paris was born in 1968 in Biarritz on France’s Atlantic coast. In 1976, it opened its first Parisian boutique entirely dedicated to shirts at 21, rue de la Paix in the 2nd arrondissement. Over the years, many other locations followed, including the flagship store on Place de la Madeleine in Paris. Alain Figaret quickly stood out by daring to offer coloured shirts—pink, yellow, sky blue—and by forging a surprising link with the world of motor racing, serving for many years as an official partner of events such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In 2010, he introduced a bespoke shirtmaking service, with pieces made in a French workshop near Nantes. Clients could choose from over 500 fabrics, all double-twisted high-thread-count cottons woven with exceptional density. The shirts featured details worthy of the finest tailoring: mother-of-pearl buttons, swallow-tail hems, and 7.5 stitches per centimetre. This commitment to excellence earned Figaret shirts admirers well beyond France, particularly in Japan and Hong Kong.

Among the brand’s signature pieces is the Figaret collar—short, spread, and structured with removable stays—and the Carl shirt, designed in honour of a regular client at the Rue de la Paix store. With its 3.5 cm straight collar, neither too narrow nor too wide, it lends itself equally well to poplin, oxford, linen, or even denim.

After five decades at the helm of the house he co-led with his wife, Alain Figaret passed the torch. In 2017, the brand became Figaret Paris. Under the creative direction of Eléonore Baudry, it has taken a freer, more expressive turn, expanding its universe beyond the formal. The result is an emblematic piece: the unisex ‘Je t’aime’ shirt, embroidered with these words on the reverse of the button placket, close to the heart. Designed to be worn or borrowed, it evokes with poetic tenderness a scene from Claude Sautet’s Les Choses de la vie, in which Romy Schneider slips on Michel Piccoli’s shirt and discovers his declaration of love while sitting down at her typewriter.

True to its affinity for culture, Figaret Paris has also forged a partnership with the venerable publishing house Gallimard. Together, they have created exclusive shirts embroidered with quotes from literary greats such as Arthur Rimbaud and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. There is, perhaps, nothing more refined than wearing the words of a poet against your skin.

These collaborations are part of Figaret Paris’s DNA. This year, the house continues its tribute to cinema with the ‘Studio Collection’, honouring female filmmakers. Agnès Varda, Greta Gerwig, Jane Campion, and Sofia Coppola lend their first names to sharply cut shirts with confident lines. The collection forms part of the brand’s broader ambition to grow its womenswear offering, available in the brand’s boutiques as well as counters in major department stores such as Printemps and Galeries Lafayette.

But Figaret Paris is also looking further afield. Following the opening of its first boutique in Brussels in 2023, the brand is now expanding internationally. Its shirts have already made their way to Japan, with exclusive models created in collaboration with M/M Paris for Isetan, and are also available at Barneys. The next chapter will unfold at Ron Herman and Takashimaya—another step in an ever-evolving story.

More information on Figaret Paris on the brand’s website.