Q: Tell us where it all began. What was your inspiration to create Soone?

After many years of working in the fashion industry, then residing in China as a designer with my family, my good friend from Denmark, Lars, paid me a visit in 2007. I had just opened a new design office in Shenzhen and after catching up over a few beers, we decided to put our heads together and create a new brand. I just knew we had the right chemistry to start something great. Lars thought it would be a good idea to name the brand after my last name, and shortly thereafter, the Soone fashion brand was born.

Q: How long have you been in the game? How did you get your start in designing?

I’ve been designing for nearly 15 years and back in 1995 I did my very first T-shirt series. At that time, I was living in my home country of France and we had a graffiti group called 313. “31” stood for the Toulouse district which was my hometown and “13” was the Marseille district where my partners were from. We smashed the numbers together to create 313.

Q: Soone seems to be one-part street culture, one-part denim. What makes Soone’s denim line so special?

Soone is not only a denim brand, but I have a special love for denim in terms of research and washes. I like the fact that denim is very hard to control because you never know how the jeans will react after a tough laundry wash – this means each piece is unique. I like to be more “hands on” and do our denim washes myself, so you can often find me in our laundry in Shenzhen trying new developments.

Q: What's the signature style of Soone? What sets it apart?

For me, it’s the “unseen” style that is the true signature of Soone. Rather than just concentrating on the “outside” look of a design, I like to concentrate on detail from the inside out – fit, cut, texture, etc. We really try to bring a high quality product for a reasonable price. We often feel that Soone is an 'urban chic project'. In that our designs are inter-connected with music, art and design. We love to produce limited edition items with wild packaging and I think this definitely sets us apart from our competitors.

Q: What do you do when you're not working? Hobbies, interests?

I love riding my ATV in the desert territories and cooking for friends.

Q: What's a quote you live by?

The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.

Q: What's the latest collection
all about?

I just finished the Spring/Summer 2011 collection. It had a huge range of cool jackets and windbreakers. I really liked this line and we did several limited edition items and packaging with crazy designs.

Q: What's your favorite piece in this season's collection?

For Winter 2010, my favorite item was the Suna Denim Black Chic Edition and the Hoshima Jacket.

Q: You mentioned earlier that Soone is connected with music, art and culture. How does this influence your design inspiration?

I’ve lived in Shenzhen, China with my family for over 5 years now and most of my inspiration is coming from the fantastic Asian culture. There is a very positive energy working in this city. Some of the local fashions here are not exactly my taste, but it’s the pulsing city that drives me – it’s so emergent and fast-growing, and therefore a great vibe to live and work in. A lot of my influence also comes from Japanese culture, but it’s really all of Asia that is inspiring me.

Q: What's the hardest thing
about your job?

To remind myself that I have to keep a business mind about my work. I love what I do, but I hate all the financial aspects around it. It must be a creative brain thing…

Q: Favorite city in the world?

Tokyo is a huge source of inspiration for me. The Japanese people and culture are a bit of a fetish for me – I love the way they do what they do…

Q: What's on your iPod
right now?

Empire of the Sun album. It's great.

Q: Who are your heroes or icons? Who do you respect?

I look up to each and every person who fight for the good cause of putting a cease to all the unbearable things on this earth. I have no special names in mind, but you can find many of these amazing people on the Amnesty International website.

Q: Three words that best describe you?

Love. Integrity. Share.