- Two new exclusive lines of professional clothing, including two jackets, created by designer Louis-Marie de Castelbajac, were presented
- The jackets will be presented to the winners at the MICHELIN Guide France 2023 Ceremony in Strasbourg on March 6
The MICHELIN Guide and Lafont presented a new collection of professional clothing for the chefs who will be selected for the MICHELIN Guide France 2023 at the Saint-James Hotel in Paris.
This collection was designed exclusively by the French designer Louis-Marie de Castelbajac.
MICHELIN, Lafont and Castelbajac: family stories
The meeting between the MICHELIN Guide and Lafont, the only company to have dressed every type of tradesmen in France since 1844, reflects strong family ties. Located between Clermont-Ferrand and the Lyon region, the two brands are committed to serving committed professionals and share a demanding thirst for excellence, know-how and creativity. Since 2022, Lafont has supported the MICHELIN Guide internationally, providing the chefs honored in each location with the embroidered jacket they have been dreaming of.
“The famous chef’s jacket offered by the Guide during our award ceremonies is not just a professional garment, but also a strong symbol of them joining the MICHELIN Guide family,” said Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guides, “Together with Lafont and designer Louis-Marie de Castelbajac, we wanted to make this moment even more unique by creating exclusive jackets for the chefs showcased by the MICHELIN Guide. Aside from the creativity of these jackets, which resonates with the creativity of restaurant professionals on a daily basis, we have not compromised on the performance of the garment, nor on its durability.
We are pleased to celebrate this partnership with this original, harmonious and tailor-made project.
In addition to its technical clothing lines, and tributes to its historical designs, since 2019, Lafont has collaborated with French designer Louis-Marie de Castelbajac, who brings a very original graphic touch. Respecting both heritage and tradition, the fashion designer had no hesitation in adding an impertinent and poetic touch.
“Given its love of perfection, beauty in movement, transmission and excellence, in becoming the clothing supplier for the MICHELIN Guide restaurant teams, Lafont is reaffirming the values it has held since it was founded in 1844.” said Alexandra Avram, Lafont’s Brand Director, “Faithful to its bespoke approach since Adolphe Lafont started designing professional clothing in Villefranche-sur-Saône, the brand has never forgotten to develop and innovate when designing stylish and technical clothes for professionals.”
Two new jackets: ‘André’ and ‘Ursa Major
Two exclusive collections have been unveiled, after more than eight months of reflection and design between the MICHELIN Guide, Lafont and Louis-Marie de Castelbajac. They each include other pieces in addition to the jackets, such as trousers, waistcoats, bags and aprons.
The first jacket, named “André” as a tribute to André Michelin, co-founder of the Group of the same name, plays mischievously with tire conventions: on a minimalist background, reminiscent of fencing jackets, the chevrons are a nod to tire prints, and the subtle stitching remind one of a certain Bibendum. The André jacket will be given to the chefs of the new One- and Two-Star MICHELIN France 2023 award winners and will be available to professionals on the Lafont e-shop.
The “Ursa Major” capsule has been designed exclusively for the MICHELIN Guide France 2023 Ceremony, which will celebrate French and European gastronomic talent. The unique jacket will be given to chefs from MICHELIN 3-Star restaurants in Europe who are invited to attend the ceremony, and to potential new recipients of the France 2023 Guide’s highest distinction. For this event, Louis-Marie de Castelbajac played with the famous Big Dipper constellation, with its natural shape of a saucepan, to combine essential culinary equipment with high gastronomic standards. The embroidery for the “Ursa Major” range is entirely handsewn.
“In a way, I wanted to meet the stars through this project, from one stellar constellation to a second, formed from excellence and passion. For me, chefs and stars, representing creativity and immensity, are one. These professionals master a magic around the unknown, crystallized and metaphorized in a dish” says Louis-Marie de Castelbajac, the fashion designer, “I created these two jackets as a tribute to the notion of ‘taking time’, like the wind, unknown, unpredictable but ultimately familiar and reassuring. Like a flavor that is distant and new but close as a memory experienced in the subconscious. It all celebrates the same thing, life.
Like all the clothes produced by Lafont, the “André” and “Ursa Major” collections are made with recycled fabrics, for sustainability.
The distinctive embroidery in these two collections (the Big Dipper
constellation and the stitching in homage to the world of Michelin tires) is sewn with a unique thread that reflects light in the dark.
Finally, to ensure that bold design goes hand in hand with high-quality technical performance, the fine-dining sector was consulted throughout the creation and design process in order to ensure that their basic needs and expectations were met.
Outfits to be presented at the MICHELIN Guide France 2023 Ceremony in Strasbourg
We will have to wait until March 6, at the MICHELIN Guide France 2023 Ceremony in Strasbourg to see the winners of the MICHELIN Stars in these new jackets, which not only celebrate shared values but also illustrate the famous “French know-how.
