Ever wonder what brand consultants actually do? What does it mean to be entrusted to help a brand create an image for themselves that will translate to the audience they are trying to reach? We sat down with Alexandre Khouri, president and co-owner of Atelier and Office of Creation (AOC), to find out how he’s changing face of France and Europe and how he’s helping brands such as Brooklyn Circus delve into international markets.
Growing up biracial in France, Khouri knows what it feels like to be considered an outsider—his father was born in Egypt and raised in Lebanon and his mother is from Corsica. From an early age he was always asked the question, “Where are you from?” and he knew people weren’t asking what part of France he grew up in. He said it wasn’t until he moved to the States, specifically Brooklyn, that he experienced diversity on a grander scale for the first time. The experience helped him forge his own personal identity and feel confident in his own skin. Upon returning to France, he was inspired to create a company (AOC) that would reflect a variety of experiences and backgrounds.
Khouri also enjoys working with Brooklyn Circus—where he is a brand representative in France–because of their ability to wear what they want and be whom they want without feeling pressure from society to conform to a certain preconceived mold. As a global and local brand, they try to embrace local culture and connect with other cultures rather than create a global conglomerate that imposes itself onto that society. France is having a love affair of sorts with the concept of Brooklyn and Khouri has been able to use this to promote Brooklyn Circus in France as the epitome of the notion of Brooklyn as a racially, culturally, and aesthetically diverse playground for creative types of a new generation.
The promotion of multiculturalism is woven into the fabric of the work he does as a consultant. He works with foreign and even some French brands to understand the multicultural France of today, helping them decide how to carve out their own niche and voice in this society. However, he understands the struggle that is faced by those who do not match the preconceived notion of what it means to be French.
He explains that France’s approach to race is unique in some ways and has in the past led to the silencing of different voices, opinions, and looks. “In France, we are anti-race. We
are still into that universal ideal that we are all humans, brothers. But that we are French before anything else. This makes us difficult to swallow, because we have diversity within our country, that is rooted within our history and now we’re facing this identity crisis as a country. We don’t have [racial] statistics. It’s really bad. It’s very French not to have statistics, because we don’t want to know how it could be used in the wrong way. France could be so much stronger knowing who it is and who composes it. And we’d still be French, even if we knew. The France of the 21st century needs to answer these questions and needs to be OK with it. Part of the country is not there yet. So it’s a struggle, but we will get there.”Despite this, Khouri expresses optimism for the future. “I feel like Paris and France is opening itself again. It used to be so open, like a hundred years ago to the world. The whole of Europe is now asking for identity and within the European nations. We are the generation to move forward. Sometimes we’re 10 years late compared to the U.S.” However, Khouri expressed his optimism that the Internet and the brands, music, and cultures that are now able to cross borders and oceans will contribute to France’s need to embrace diversity. Fashion and style, he says plays a role. By way of example he mentions Olivier Rousteing, who is French, black, and the head of Balmain. Rousteing’s ability to transcend stereotypes and prejudices in taking over one of the most prestigious French fashion houses is a step forward says Khouri. His creations and visions reach millions around the world and help people to change their perceptions of what modern France looks like today.
Khouri feels that change is coming to France, but it is necessary for the younger generation to take the reins to dispel the homogeneous stereotype that still plagues France in several aspects of society from politics, to newscasters, designers and in between. “Of course it’s not the whole millennial generation in France [that embraces this diversity], but it’s a bigger proportion and that’s going to help us meet the Other with a capital O. We need to be ready to meet the Other. Some French people might not have been ready to meet the Other. It requires time. I feel like the new generation is open to that. France should leverage its new generation and be proud of it. It’s not youth against the older generation; it’s us altogether working to show that we have room for everyone here.”
When it comes to style he says that “diversity is now diverse. Diversity used to be one thing for each group and now with diversity you have differences within each group. You now see more diversity within the representations of various races. It’s not about fashion; it’s about your own personal style and being able to express who you are. For example, AfroPunk in New York is huge and it’s now come to Paris and its beautiful to see how it’s been embraced,” he says. Seeing people of different racial groups expressing themselves through various modes of dress is important to shedding the stereotypes about fashion that cling to races, he says. He is confident that companies like his that expose France to new ideas and views will help the country open itself up once again.
Written by our partners: Les Club des Douze
Le Club des Douze (based in Paris) – is an experimental project dedicated to men’s fashion that features 12 quality menswear pieces weekly. Check them out on Twitter & Instagram!
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