Fashion House Sans Gêne is Making Major Moves in Big Spaces

Sans Gêne, is a name you ought to become familiar with in the style space. The label is already making big time moves like styling Blxst—a well known rapper and songwriter nominated for song 'Die Hard,' a collab with Kendrick Lamar—for the 2023 Grammys. For the project, Blxst worked closely with his personal stylist Jyothisha Bridges and the Sans Gêne creative team to create a hand painted and airbrushed suit made with sustainable materials in NYC.

The brand, founded by Caroline McCaul, just recently launched their Winter 2022 collection, which was handcrafted in Italy and features luxury fabrications and futuristic motifs, including oversized boxy blazers, wide leg calfskin leather trousers, effortless tonal virgin wool trench coats, and cargo lounge pants with leather oversized pockets. 

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We chatted with the Sans Gêne team recently to learn more about who they are as a brand, and where they plan on going. Check out the interview below. 

ONE37pm:  Excited to connect with you all. Thanks so much for the time! Let's first start with the Grammys where you created a custom piece for BLXST. Could you walk us through that process?

Sans Gêne: Customs are exciting because you can spend more time on individual garments. Our last collection featured some airbrushing, so we wanted to take it a step further for BLXST. We started off by designing a few looks we felt embodied his style and energy. He picked his favorite one, then his stylist, Jyotisha, helped us perfect it for him. We ended up with a structured, collarless, cropped suit jacket and slightly flared trousers. In order to give the garments a truly seamless finish, we had to airbrush and hand paint them while on a live model. It took about 30 hours to perfect over a few days.

We did this to keep the garments’ dimension and form so the paint would fall perfectly onto the fabric. We had a few fittings, then we did final paint touch ups. BLXST and his team were incredible to work with and we are so honored to have dressed him for his first Grammy nominations. 

ONE37pm: Sans Gêne is a young fashion house. Can you talk more about what that means being a young fashion house on the rise?

Sans Gêne: Being a young fashion house in an already saturated market certainly has its challenges. It comes with the expected difficulties of establishing brand awareness and gaining footing within the market. When you’re a new brand, it’s essential that you learn from your mistakes, correct them and continue pushing forward. Having a dedicated team to work though those growing pains is equally as important. We are so lucky to have a small team of people in all the right places that always has the brand’s best interest in mind. 

ONE37pm: What are some of the challenges you guys have faced that people wouldn't expect?

Sans Gêne: Producing high quality garments abroad is layered with a unique set of challenges. There are language barriers, measuring differences, multiple time-zones, and geo-political issues that cause delays in production. Getting unisex sizing right was also a challenge. The spectrum of sizing among women and men is hard to nail; silhouettes are different, proportions are different, and body types vary.

ONE37pm:  For those being introduced to Sans Gêne for the first time, can you describe who you are and what you guys represent?

Sans Gêne: Sans Gêne at large is more than just fashion. Our garments are a means towards actionable change. Sans Gêne is a French saying that means without embarrassment, constraint, or shame. Sans Gêne aims to promote the mindset of living freely and breaking down the judgmental bias in society. The focus of Sans Gêne is to annihilate barriers and labels that we are all put in, with the mission of helping to end stigma. Proceeds from every collection will be going to various mental health organizations, as mental health is a core identity and part of Sans Gêne. 

We are also dedicated to producing at the highest quality in small factories. We value quality, artisanship, and only produce in safe working environments.

ONE37pm: What else is in store for 2023?

Sans Gêne: Without giving too much away, Sans Gêne in 2023 will put out more collections, collaborations, and custom garments. We will be hosting more fundraising events and donating to a variety of mental health charities. Sans Gêne has a lot of surprises in store that we can’t wait to share.

Make sure to check out Sans Gêne's latest winter collection on their official website.