Pitti rarely introduces new, interesting brands these days. It may be partly the market situation, partly the Pitti situation, but either way it is not about the search for some time. You see new things but not new names.
Luckily there was an exception this summer, because we met people from behind museum clothing For the first time, and they were really exciting.
They were on our radar because we saw them Colbo in New York Last autumn, and a sweater was actually recommended October round-up. But seeing the broader scope and meeting the founders was very different.
Alain Duruy and Oscar Fassenot have a genuine passion for classic clothing, but they come from the fashion industry rather than starting out as amateurs, which makes the brand more mainstream and gives a modern, clean aesthetic to their many interpretations of heritage pieces.
It’s hard to appreciate too much online – there’s a lot about the content.
Take labor jacket For example. It’s impossible to see online what suede is like – not only is it good or bad, but is it light or heavy, soft or bumpy. In person it’s obviously decent quality, but it’s also an interesting mix of luxury and workwear – substantial and tough, but not as stiff and heavy as a pure repro piece.
The same applies to the fit – the jacket has a unique, deliberate design with slightly broad shoulders and a slim waist, but it’s neither a straight reproduction nor as exaggerated as A Presse, Lemaire or other fashion brands. (I took a medium.)
What you get a sense of online is the design in terms of things like color and hardware. With collar and body material in related, complementary colors, it looks simple and muted.
That jacket was the first thing I wore at Pitti – suede outerwear is a real weakness of mine – and it was impressive. We immediately tried on a white hunting jacket (not currently online) and a wool overshirt (above).
Both had a similar feeling in their materials: more material than a high-street piece, a little thicker, a little denser, suggesting an appreciation of vintage. But it’s also quite modern: very tonal with the white cord at the collar, the overshirt tied at the back with a chest pocket, and matching trousers.
The hunting jacket was the best fit of any piece of that kind – the originals are so short and so A-line, that a reproduction seems almost ridiculous, yet a normal fit loses all character. It was a nice place in between.
Perhaps the reason I find Muse Garments so interesting is this meeting of worlds: it’s an interesting option for the PS reader who wants heritage-inspired quality, but wants a more modern approach, and considers design without the big-fashion prices (jacket is £700, overshirt £150).
Those prices mean we’re certainly not talking the most luxurious or rare materials, nor the kind of craftsmanship we often cover on PS, but you don’t need that for some of these costumes.
It’s interesting to compare a brand to someone who Bak MasoN, which is slightly cheaper but also offers straight legacy designs rather than modern interpretations. I think some readers will err more on the traditional side like Buck, while others will err more on the modern side like Muse Garments.
There are some museum costume designs I don’t like. ‘Dad’s Shirt’ For example, it has a small button-down collar, which I don’t think is great (above). But it’s referencing a particular look – the polo one-pocket shirt of the nineties, big and untucked, and I’m not behind that.
This inspiration is imprinted on all the labels of Muse Garments clothing, which is a nice touch.
Each piece has a different one, and for dad’s shirt it’s a little cartoon of an ivy-looking gentleman working at his desk. The pumpist’s jacket has a service station, the laborer’s jacket has a stylish factory, the smoke on which is written ‘Tough Skin, True Craft’.
“We like the fact that labels connect us to the customer, letting them know what we were thinking,” says Allen. “It’s something that’s just for the wearer, because no one else sees it. It’s a little reminder every time they wear it.
“We love vintage clothes but they can be a bit dusty, a bit harsh,” says Oscar. “And we’re French, from Paris, so we wanted a bit of that French chic. That’s why a lot of the designs are quite stripped back.”
There can be a problem with this kind of menswear – clothes and lookbooks often look ordinary, because the clothes are classic and the designs are very simple. The dresses from Museum Garments are a good example of this, and really mean it’s best to see them in person to appreciate both the details and the materials.
Unfortunately the brand isn’t widely stocked yet, but that’s because they only launched in 2024 and are starting to properly wholesale for the first time this season. So the various stockists who came to see them in Florence and Paris (including No Man Walks Alone) will have the clothes in spring 2027.
Currently, availability is online, Colbo and elsewhere A handful of locations in France and Switzerland. There will also be ships at Galerie Lafayette in France and Japan this autumn. Hopefully there will be more soon.
