Maison Kitsuné is a Franco-Japanese luxury lifestyle brand founded in 2002 in Paris by Gildas Loaëc (French, from Brittany) and Masaya Kuroki (Japanese, raised in Paris). “Maison” is the French word for “house”; “Kitsuné” is the Japanese word for “fox,” a symbol of versatility and cleverness in Japanese folklore. In Japan, the brand is perceived as French; in France, as Japanese — a productive ambiguity that runs through everything the brand does, from its fashion collections to its Kitsuné Musique record label to its Café Kitsuné coffee shops, which have grown to 26 locations worldwide. Fashion represents 90% of total revenue.
Key Facts
- Founded: 2002 (as Kitsuné Musique); ready-to-wear from 2005
- Founders: Gildas Loaëc and Masaya Kuroki
- Headquarters: Paris, France
- Stores: 38 directly-owned stores globally; fashion in 400+ retail points
- Industry: Contemporary Franco-Japanese Fashion, Music, Hospitality
History
Loaëc opened “Street Sounds,” a record shop in Paris’s 1st arrondissement, in 1995 — which became a popular spot for house music and where he met Masaya Kuroki, who had grown up in Paris after moving from Japan. Loaëc also worked as Daft Punk’s artistic director and close collaborator during this period. A founding trip to Japan — taken while working on a Daft Punk project — revealed to both men the possibility of combining music and fashion into a single lifestyle concept as they saw being done in Tokyo. They launched Kitsuné Musique in 2002, and the ready-to-wear clothing line followed in 2005, beginning with T-shirts and polo shirts carrying the fox logo. Loaëc handled the music business; Kuroki, with his architectural training, designed most of the boutiques. DJing funded the early years of the fashion venture. Café Kitsuné launched in Tokyo in 2013 and now operates 26 locations globally.
Aesthetic
Maison Kitsuné’s design language is “Paris-meets-Tokyo” — a balance of French minimalist elegance and Japanese precision, applied to preppy, sporty, and casual menswear and womenswear. Collaborations include And Wander, Eastpak, Puma, Reebok, J.M. Weston, and others. The fox logo — appearing on chests, sleeves, and labels — is one of the more recognisable symbols in contemporary streetwear-adjacent fashion.
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