Maison Kitsuné | |
Company type | Private ( S.A.S) |
Industry | |
Founded | 2002Paris, France | in
Founder |
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Headquarters | 9, rue du Helder, , France |
Number of locations | 35 boutiques (2022) |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Gildas Loaëc ( CEO) |
Products | |
Website |
maisonkitsune |
Maison Kitsuné (French pronunciation: [mezɔ̃ kitsune]; Japanese: メゾン キツネ) is a French-Japanese lifestyle brand founded in 2002 by Gildas Loaëc, Masaya Kuroki, and the London-based company Åbäke. [1] Kitsuné operates as a fashion brand, a record label, an art gallery, and a chain of cafés and restaurants worldwide. Kitsune (きつね, 狐) is the Japanese word for " fox," which is featured prominently in their ready-to-wear collections. Kitsuné Musique and Café Kitsuné are the sub-brands of their record label and chain of coffee shops, respectively.
Maison Kitsuné was founded in 2002 as a record label by Gildas Loaëc and Masaya Kuroki in Paris. [2] The founders first met in Loaëc's record shop in Paris where house music lovers, including Kuroki, Daft Punk, and others, frequented. [2] After a trip to Japan for a music video together, they came up with the idea of launching a lifestyle brand not confined to one discipline. [2] The result was Maison Kitsuné, which blends music and fashion as a multi-faceted Paris-meets-Tokyo brand. [2] The pair promoted the brand by performing DJ sets, which was followed by the release of the first t-shirt, shirt, dress, and eventually a full-fledged ready-to-wear collection in 2005 that represents 90 percent of its revenue today. [2] Before co-founding the company, Loaëc worked with Daft Punk and also with Thomas Bangalter's record label Roulé. [3][ unreliable source?]
In 2013, Maison Kitsuné expanded their brand by opening a coffee shop called Café Kitsuné in Tokyo, Japan. [2] The first café-restaurant opened in Paris, France in 2019. [4] They have since expanded Café Kitsuné to 26 locations worldwide, including in Tokyo, Paris, New York City, London, Vancouver, and Shanghai. [4]
The name Kitsuné comes from the Japanese word kitsune ( hiragana: きつね; kanji: 狐) meaning " fox". In Japan, the fox is said to have the power to change its appearance and its face; the many faces and appearances of the fox represent the different parts and directions of Kitsuné. [5]
Kitsuné Musique | |
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Founded | 2002Paris, France | in
Founder |
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Distributor(s) |
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Genre | |
Country of origin | |
Location | Paris, France |
Official website | Official website |
Note: This list does not include artists whose songs appeared solely on compilations released by Kitsuné.