After bringing its touch to the AS Monaco’s equipments (article available HERE), the French brand DROLE DE MONSIEUR continues its momentum and unveils a new eye-catching collaboration. For the 2nd time, the stylish sportswear brand has teamed up with PARABOOT to design a new special REIMS.
The PARABOOT brand was born in a small French village at the foot of the Alps in the early 20th century.
Rémy-Alexis Richard, its founder, was born in 1878 into a family of modest farmers. He became a worker-cutter at Chevron, one of the 20 shoe factories in the region, and realized that the big city contractors were making more money than his own boss. Armed with his shoe designs, he left for Paris to sell his models as a « factory agent ». He had his first shoes made in the Izeaux workshops and sold them to major customers in Paris. The brand name PARABOOT was registered in 1927. « Para » comes from a port in Amazonia from where latex is exported, and « boot » refers to the model of shoes that Rémy-Alexis Richard discovered in the United States during a trip.
PARABOOT is a flourishing business, with 20 million euros in sales in 2019 (up 3.5%). Pierre Colin, the company’s communications director commented : « The only French footwear manufacturer brands that survive through the ages are those that have managed to retain their know-how and DNA. » Even today, the manufacture of the brand’s shoes remains almost 100% French.
Drôle de Monsieur has chosen to bring his touch to the REIMS, an iconic moccasin of the French brand that draws its inspiration from the timeless Michael model. With its robust features and assertive look, this Made in France shoe continues to seduce despite the different trends. For the design, the Drôle de Monsieur team wanted to pay tribute to a Swiss architect it particularly appreciates, Pierre Jeanneret. The look of the emblematic « Committee Chair » made in the 1950s by Pierre Jeanneret for the Chandigarh project was the basis for this collab. Imitating this chair, the moccasin made in France features a brown Norweigan sole sewn to the upper in smooth brown leather that recalls the wooden structure of the chair. To affirm the inspiration, the toe box is covered in beige calf leather to recall the seat. Beige top stitching, smooth leather lining and the legendary green PARABOOT tag sewn onto the collar complete the look.
The Drôle de Monsieur x Paraboot Reims will be released in limited quantities on November 3, 2022 in the DROLE DE MONSIEUR store at 52 rue Charlot, Paris 3rd arrondissement, and online at droledemonsieur.com. Don’t sleep !
