Work & Business

The Swedish Company With A French Name: Très Bien

What began as a Swedish-based retailer for men’s fashion, has become a worldwide sensation.

Brothers Simon and Hannes Hogeman, along with friends Björn Lindén and Jakob Törnberg, founded Très Bien in 2006. Wanting to diverge from the norm, the founders wanted to focus on a new kind of style: streetwear.

In an interview with Business of Fashion, Hannes Hogeman said, “Menswear online was kind of non-existent 10 years ago. No one was really thinking about putting stuff together. At that point, everything going on online was very standardised — ‘this is what we have, come buy what we have.’ We wanted to build our own world.”

Nearly 15 years later, Très Bien holds a vital position in online menswear.

What to expect

When you walk into Très Bien, you’ll notice the minimalistic design of the shop, to better showcase the pieces. Consumers are greeted with a plethora of designers, from Raf Simons and Prada to more accessible brands like Nike or Adidas. By covering a wide range of price points, it’s hard to leave empty-handed.

Hannes Hogeman told Business of Fashion, “We have a customer buying everything from Nike to Margiela.” Simon Hogeman added, “The styling has always been a big, big thing – how we mix and match different types of brands and try to present it the Très Bien way, instead of, like, how the brands want you to portray it.”

About the brand

Conjuring inspiration from 1990s trends and U.S. culture, Très Bien quickly caught the attention of consumers all over the world. Due to its immense success, the founders created their own collection in 2014.

“We definitely want to be considered as more of a fashion brand than an e-shop doing their own line,” Hannes Hogeman said in the Business of Fashion article.

In the Très Bien collections, consumers will notice a focus on quality over quantity. By using classic silhouettes combined with trendy patterns and colors, Très Bien differentiates itself from the other brands they carry.

What’s streetwear?

Streetwear has been turning heads for years, but what exactly is so appealing about this trend? By mixing casual clothing with elevated pieces, this particular style is most popular among urban youth subcultures. From dad sneakers to graphic T-shirts, it’s all about the effortless chic vibe.

When asked by High Snobiety to describe the aesthetic of Très Bien, Hannes Hogeman said, “It’s very much based on a feeling, rather than something particular. The kind of effortless, not-trying-too-hard kind-of feel. However, making it feel natural and unforced can sometimes be a lot of hard work.”

The customer will see this aesthetic not only in Très Bien’s selection of other brands, but in its in-house designs. For its spring/summer 2020 collection, you’ll notice a conglomerate of designs including graphic sweatshirts, attention-grabbing shoes and a plethora of spring jackets.

By creating its own designs, Très Bien paved the way for many collaborations to come.

To learn more about Très Bien, or to shop online, visits its website, or check it out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.