Marc-Antoine Barrois is one of the most notable names in fashion today with his couture house. He knew his ability to make designer tuxedos and black-tie styles would reach the world because of how extensively he specialized in this niche. His couture went worldwide and attracted high-end clients quickly, and his designs appeared on red carpets.
“Did I know at the time that my couture work would lead to building a successful perfume? No, I wasn’t even dreaming of that. I was mostly dreaming of getting known for my couture and for that to be seen all over the world,” Barrois stated.
Barrois grew up in France, and he always knew he was different. While other boys loved football, or what Americans call soccer, he fell in love with sewing, taught by his mother.
“My mom taught me how to sew because we came from quite a poor family. It wasn’t because she loved it; it was because it was the way to afford new clothes or dresses when she had to go to weddings and things like that,” Barrois recalled. “My father was a teacher, and my mother didn’t work. We couldn’t afford to go to stores.”
A man sewing was unusual in France because it was a hobby for girls, Barrois admitted. By age 18, he had become well-versed in creating clothes for himself. By 20, he was ready to present his first collection in Lille, France.
“I had the chance in 2004, when I presented my first collection, to enter a fashion contest,” said Barrois. “And the head of the judges was the right hand of Givenchy, Dominique Sirop.”
Sirop was so impressed with Barrois’ collection that he offered him an internship on the spot. Two months later, Sirop offered Barrois a full-time job in his fashion house.
“Old couture is like an art, and I honestly learned that during my internship with him,” admitted Barrois. “The most important thing I learned during my internship was perseverance. It’s the most important thing in fashion. To believe in what you do, to trust in what you do and to have the courage and bravery to continue even though it might not be easy every day.”
After working with Sirop for two years, he met Jean-Paul Gaultier — who was working with Hermes — and they started to work together. Not long after that, another French fashion house hired Barrois as the director of their men’s collection.
In 2009, he officially started Marc-Antoine Barrois, his own maison de couture, or fashion house. He designed clothes for others to help fund his new fashion house. When times got dire, help came from a familiar face.
“The only investor that put some money into my couture business was my mom at some point,” Barrois recalled. “She put 5,000 euros into the company because one month I couldn’t pay the rent. She said we don’t have much at home, but we can give you 5,000.”
That investment saved the company and made it a family business. “We have the freedom to remain faithful to our values — and that is priceless,” he said.
