Pas de Mer is an Italian brand born in 2011. Ironic graphics and high-quality fabrics are definitely its main force. Intrigued by the uniqueness of the items, we asked some questions to Andrea and Luca, the two founders.
Hi Andrea! The first thing that catches your eye watching your tees surely is the irony of the prints. How important is it from an artistic point of view?
Living your life ironically is always important, not only from an artistic point of view. We must live with a smile on our face or at least try to. We might say that the witty, ironic, colorful graphics are one of the cornerstones of Pas de Mer. It reflects ourselves as many times a graphic comes from a mere joke or something happened at work. But there’s a serious twist too. I might be exaggerating but some graphics hide or explicit some not fantastic episodes and we try to tell them in our own way, through a laughter or a joke.
In a world of disposable clothes, you have managed to create a brand based on the high quality of the materials. Has it always been your prerogative?
In general, both Luca and I are do not love "disposable" clothes (with some exceptions). Assuming that it bothers me to buy a “cardboard-like" shirt, looking for quality for our brand is the immediate consequence. It sounds like a very simple thing, but trust me, it is not. Behind the result there is a very long period of testing, research, and again testing, research etc… Then we obviously need to consider investments, costs, revenues that must return or you might create a mess. We’re slowly building our paths, considering that the idea of Pas de Mer starts in 2011…
Where does the inspiration for the prints come from?
As I told you before, most of the graphics are born from brainstormings of bullshits or from our own life experience. The society is full of ideas that can easily become a t-shirt graphic. The web is full of absurdity. Fortunately then, Luca and I have different tastes and our ideas often clash,. If you put these ingredients together, something always comes out, or at least we hope so.
Although rather essentials, all your products are all well recognizable. Do you feel close to any particular style or do you prefer to keep your own uniqueness?
We certainly do not like copying. We obviously have some favorite brands we take inspiration from. That’s why research is a must in every aspect. American streetwear is the role model, we try to add Italian taste and some clean European essential details as you just said. You have to be good at mixing and brave to dare on certain products or how to set the graphics. Japanese and Korean are the very best in this by me. If, as you said, we are recognizable maybe we are doing good.
Lastly, how do you define Pas De Mer in a single sentence?
No, it's impossible and I'm not good with the synthesis. Pas de Mer is our desire of finding a future and it’s made of very cool moments, sacrifices, mistakes and hard work. Pas de Mer is what happens in our lives told by me and Luca. It is our job and we hope it will last long. As one of our most appreciated graphics says, "Pas de Mer, always a good news".
Thanks again to Andrea and Luca for the interview. The new Pas de Mer a/w collection will soon be available online and in store at Holypopstore.