MARITHE + FRANCOIS GIRBAUD

Country

France

Founded

1972

Category

Clothing / Accessories

Marithé + François Girbaud is a fashion brand launched in France in 1972 by designers Marithé Bachellerie and François Girbaud. It offers men’s and women’s clothing centered on denim and is known for industrializing stonewashing and developing baggy jeans and engineered jeans. The founders continued to develop technologies for processing materials and garment construction, and also worked on denim treatments that reduce environmental impact. In recent years, the brand has also offered casualwear for the Asian market through licensing partnerships with Korean companies.

Modern techniques made by hand

• COMPAGNIE DES MONTAGNES ET DES FORÊTS 1975

  A leather goods line added in 1975, it served to expand MARITHÉ + FRANÇOIS GIRBAUD beyond its denim-focused range into leather apparel and leather accessories. Later, MILLÉSIMES was also established to bring this label’s signature products to a wider market. Within the brand family, it is positioned as a line specializing in leather goods. ([girbaud.com](https://www.girbaud.com/en/pages/univers-marithe-francois-girbaud))

  A leather line specializing in leather goods

• Closed 1978

  In 1977, Marithé and François introduced this name as an iconic line of MARITHÉ + FRANÇOIS GIRBAUD. It began as one of the lines developed from the parent brand’s denim, and, unlike its other knitwear, sportswear, and functional-wear lines, it was developed under its own brand name. The official brand history also records it as a line launched by the founders. ([girbaud.com](https://www.girbaud.com/en/pages/univers-marithe-francois-girbaud))

  A historical line developed under its own name, centered on denim

• LES COMPLÉMENTS DE 1979

  In 1979, a sportswear line was introduced following MAILLAPARTY. The official brand history describes it as a line with light, feminine accents. Its focus and approach to clothing differed from those of the parent brand, which centered on denim, and MAILLAPARTY, which specialized in knitwear; it served to add sportswear to the brand family. ([girbaud.com](https://www.girbaud.com/en/pages/univers-marithe-francois-girbaud))

  A light, women’s sportswear line

• MAILLAPARTY 1979

  A knitwear line launched by Marite and Francois in 1979. In contrast to the parent brand’s offerings, which placed denim at the center, it presented knit fabrics and knitwear under an independent line name. It also differed from LES COMPLÉMENTS DE, a sportswear line that appeared later and featured light, feminine elements, occupying the knitwear segment within the brand family. ([girbaud.com](https://www.girbaud.com/en/pages/univers-marithe-francois-girbaud))

  A line specializing in knitwear

• MOMENTO DUE 1983

  A deconstructed sportswear line for men, introduced in 1983. It offered a menswear proposition distinct from the parent brand’s denim-centered clothing, presenting sportswear with disrupted construction under an independent name. While LES COMPLÉMENTS DE covered lightweight sportswear for women, MOMENTO DUE was positioned as the line responsible for menswear. ([girbaud.com](https://www.girbaud.com/en/pages/univers-marithe-francois-girbaud))

  A deconstructed men’s sportswear line

• REPRODUCTION 1983

  A children's clothing line launched in the 1980s by MARITHÉ + FRANÇOIS GIRBAUD. In contrast to the parent brand's collections for adults, it was developed as a separate clothing line for children and was reintroduced for the Spring/Summer 2007 season as the brand re-entered the children's clothing market. Its positioning differs from the adult lines, including denim and sportswear, by age group. ([fashionunited.uk](https://fashionunited.uk/news/fashion/m-fg-re-enters-childrenswear-market/2006020135729?utm_source=openai))

  A kids' line focused on clothing for children

• MARITHÉ ET FRANÇOIS GIRBAUD CUIR 1985

  Presented in 1985, this was a leatherwear line by MARITHÉ + FRANÇOIS GIRBAUD. It offered classic leather goods for men and women, and was manufactured by Italy’s Ruffo. COMPAGNIE DES MONTAGNES ET DES FORÊTS, added in 1975, also dealt in leather goods, but official brand history records it as a separate leather offering bearing the parent brand’s name, positioned for leather garments. ([girbaud.com](https://www.girbaud.com/en/pages/univers-marithe-francois-girbaud))

  A line offering leatherwear for men and women.

• S.P.Q.R.CITY 1993

  In 1993, this line emerged from research into materials other than denim and garment construction. It was developed using high-performance materials and guided by the idea of using “materials for the city in sportswear, or sports materials in citywear.” In contrast to the parent brand, which centers on denim, it focused on technical garments spanning urban life and sportswear, and had a role distinct from the later ski and outerwear line ACTLIVE. ([girbaud.com](https://www.girbaud.com/en/pages/univers-marithe-francois-girbaud))

  A performance-materials line connecting urban and sportswear

• ACTLIVE 1998

  In 1998, this line of ski wear and outerwear was developed with the Austrian partner Sportalm. It offered functional apparel made with high-performance technical materials, extending the parent brand’s denim-based offerings into the outdoor and ski fields. Unlike S.P.Q.R.CITY, which applied high-performance materials to urban and sportswear, this line focused on ski and outerwear. ([girbaud.com](https://www.girbaud.com/en/pages/univers-marithe-francois-girbaud))

  A line for skiing and high-performance outerwear

• LE JEAN DE MARITHÉ + FRANÇOIS GIRBAUD 1999

  Introduced in 1999 as a name for bringing together the brand’s jeans and casual products. Unlike MAILLAPARTY and ACTLIVE, which specialize in particular clothing categories or materials, it serves to bring together and offer the parent brand’s denim and casualwear. Under an independent name, it is recorded in the official brand history as a line that foregrounds the denim lineage of MARITHÉ + FRANÇOIS GIRBAUD. ([girbaud.com](https://www.girbaud.com/en/pages/univers-marithe-francois-girbaud))

  A line bringing together denim and casual products

• LEG END 2008

  Launched in 2008 against the backdrop of MARITHÉ + FRANÇOIS GIRBAUD’s denim heritage, this is a premium jeans label. It is characterized by iconic construction, high-quality finishes, and decorative custom parts, developing the parent brand’s denim into a more exclusive and distinctive offering. While LE JEAN DE MARITHÉ + FRANÇOIS GIRBAUD broadly encompasses jeans and casual products, LEG END is positioned specifically around premium jeans. ([girbaud.com](https://www.girbaud.com/en/pages/univers-marithe-francois-girbaud))

  A denim label specializing in premium jeans

• MARITHÉ KIDS 2023

  As the kids’ line of MARITHÉ + FRANÇOIS GIRBAUD, it has a distinct name and contact channel on the official brand website for Korea, and offers products and collections for children. Its target age group differs from that of the core adult collections, and it extends the parent brand’s name and logo to children’s clothing. It is a line confirmed in the current official offering, separate from the historical children’s clothing line REPRODUCTION. ([marithe-official.com](https://marithe-official.com/about.html?utm_source=openai))

  A current clothing line for children