My dear fashionistas, welcome to another autumn fashion story on the Mr.M blog. I hope you are well and ready for a new dose of fashion. Today I’m going to introduce you to an unusual French casual fashion brand, which I’m sure many of you have heard of – IKKS. IKKS is a French ready-to-wear brand founded in 1987 by Gérard Le Goff in La Seguiniere. The brand was part of the Kidiliz Group for several years before being sold to the White Knight LBO France fund in July 2015. It is one of the first French players in the ready-to-wear medium and high-end range with wide distribution.
How did the IKKS brand get its name? Gérard Le Goff originally wanted to call his mark “X”. As this name was transferred to clothing originally intended for children, the designer chose the name IKKS, which is actually pronounced “X”.
IKKS is undertaking a sincere process of transformation, a comprehensive transformation, which will be applied to every aspect of the company, retaining the strength anchored in their DNA and improving the weaknesses that are observed today. They engage in a resilience approach because IKKS Group management believes that everyone has their share of responsibility. Sometimes it is also difficult because you have to be able to make firm decisions even if their implementation is not easy. But it’s never too late to question yourself and try to do things right. One of their key initiatives is the decision to stop using one of the biggest scourges in the textile industry: virgin polyester.
A transformation has begun to achieve this ambitious goal by 2025. The IKKS teams are sure that it will be difficult, but they are also sure that this decision will have a big impact on their company and that they will have to make certain compromises, but they feel that it is their moral duty and responsibility to show everyone that it is possible. IKKS wants to change without leaving their DNA, without claiming to be something they really aren’t. Making choices means doing nothing more, and that’s something the IKKS team won’t hesitate to do in the coming months and years.
The responsibility of IKKS concerns the entire ecosystem which consists of: People, the core of their business. That is why IKKS works hand in hand with its partners, suppliers and employees. Traceability, a major issue today, to secure their processes and control their supply chains to guarantee product quality. Their materials are becoming more and more ethical. Their skills, expertise and their integrated operational excellence, especially through their partners. IKKS has obligations for the land, the sea and the environment as a whole, to do something sincere and lasting for the planet.
Their “IKKS works better” program is focused on five priorities: Reduce carbon emissions, Develop more ethical materials to reduce their impact on the environment; Guaranteeing social standards throughout the IKKS supply chain; all information about IKKS products is transparent and available to everyone and the reduction of plastic.
What sets IKKS apart from other brands on the market is the excellence of the unique skills that form the heart of the “IKKS works better” approach. Seamstresses, pattern makers, design office, style studio, quality control, CSR teams: IKKS has all the expertise in conceiving and designing the collections in-house in Saint-Macaire-en-Mauges and Paris. It’s local expertise, highlighted every day by a team of passionate people.
As quality goes with things that last, the IKKS teams are dedicated to the task of guaranteeing that customers around the world have desirable and durable products. A team of 22 people based in Saint-Macaire-en-Mauges is fully dedicated to prototyping IKKS models, developing more than 2,500 prototypes per year. This phase, which is very important in the creation of IKKS collections, guarantees the quality of the clothes and that they fit well.
My outfit today consists of 3 items from IKKS men’s collection: an IKKS jacket made of the finest suede leather, a polo shirt and classic drap trousers. All three pieces of clothing are great for fall days when you want to wear something in soft neutral colors and get noticed.
If you want to stay updated and find out what all the novelties IKKS has to offer us this fashion season, follow this French fashion house on Facebook and Instagram.
OUTFIT
Leather Suede Jacket: IKKS
Polo T-Shirt: IKKS
Watch: DONE Watches
Trousers: IKKS
Sneakers: Dolce & Gabbana
Today’s fashion adventure continues with new friends of the Mr.M blog, a young and innovative exclusive Swiss watch brand that I’m sure you’ll love at first sight! In one of the previous stories, I wrote more details about this brand, and I advise you to spare a few minutes and read the story at the following LINK.
DONE is proof that all dreams can become reality, if you really believe in yourself and constantly work on yourself. I believe that there are a large number of watch lovers who realize and understand how difficult it really is to start your own watch brand and that it is every watchmaker’s dream to create their own watch brand one day. In the past, it was almost an impossible mission, but with the emergence of platforms where you can present your project and request financial assistance to achieve your business goals, anything is possible.
Crowdfunding platforms have taken on a very special importance during the last couple of years, especially in the watch industry. While in the past an extremely large amount of capital was required, today there is an almost endless community of watch enthusiasts from all over the world who could help you make your dreams come true. The best thing about it: if watch enthusiasts like your project, many of them are willing to financially support the project before the official start of production even begins.
That’s exactly what Mr. Thierry Clottu managed to do, when he completed an impressive Kickstarter campaign in July 2016. When he successfully raised the financial means for making watches, he set about creating his own watchmaking brand, which he had been dreaming about for years.
Mr. Clottu started making his dreams come true in 2015, when he made the first sketches for his new project. As an experienced microtechnology engineer and after more than 10 years of product development experience for many well-known luxury watch brands, he decided to finally commit to his own long-awaited dream of his own watch brand.
By the way, the name “DONE Watches” has a double meaning: on the one hand, it represents the founder’s personal challenge to create a successful watch brand himself, that is, to actually do it. On the other hand, the name alludes to the region of the brand’s birth, located in Neuchâtel, Switzerland – Done in Neuchâtel.
Mr. Clottu has already successfully established three watch collections, which are called Classic, Skeleton and Automatic. The story of this unusual Swiss brand DONE watches began in 2016, with the “MECHANICA ME1A” from the Classic series, a sporty-elegant everyday watch with a small second at 9 o’clock and a beautifully decorated hand-wound caliber.
Automatic three-handers, on the other hand, are significantly more timeless, with only a classic date window at 3 o’clock and available in 40mm (men’s) and 36mm (women’s) diameters. For those who prefer something a little more extravagant on their wrist, Clottu has developed the elegant Skeleton models, which boast an open caliber and DLC coating.
In today’s fashion story, I have the great honor and pleasure to present you the newest model of the DONE watch MECHANICA B03 in a special limited edition of 50 pieces. After the great sales success of the MECHANICA B01 and MECHANICA B02 models, the DONE brand is pleased to present the MECHANICA B03 model at this year’s Time to Watches.
The MECHANICA B03 model uses the same aesthetic codes as its predecessors, but in shades
clearer and more concrete. Its silver movement brings a beautiful depth to this watch which then fully reveals its movement in complete transparency. The B03 proudly displays its case diameter of 43.8 mm with an overall thickness of 10.9 mm. Because it is extremely thin and light, trust me I forgot I had this watch on my wrist.
When I discovered this convenience, I realized that the high quality of the execution of its components stands out, both in terms of the level of construction of the case, as well as in the “in-house” manual-wound caliber itself. The founder’s main motto when creating this new DONE model was: “True beauty comes from within!”. Therefore, the new MECHANICA B03 model has the famous basic movement ETA 6497-1 due to its reliability and precision, in this model processed in a skeletonized cut of bridges and a modern design. This watch is the result of dedicated work where we obtained exceptional design results in order to harmonize the whole for a clean and timeless result.
Technical Information:
Case Diameter: 43,8mm
Case Thickness: 10,9mm
Case Material: Grade 5 Titanium
Water Resistance: 10 ATM (100m)
Crystals: Saphire, anti reflective coating
Movement: Skeleton, ETA 6497-1, hand-winding, design done in house
Power reserve: 46
Strap material: Brown crocodile leather
Strap buckle: Titanium bi-blade folding clasp
Packaging: Leather travel case that accommodates up to 3 watches
Price: 3850 CHF (approx. 4000 Euros)
In the outstanding offer of the DONE brand, you can also find other models of watches for men and women. If you want to stay updated and find out what novelties the DONE watches brand has to offer us, follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Anyone who has followed my blog for a long time knows that I always try to pay special attention to details. So this time I decided to present to you again one of the pairs of shoes that I have had in my shoe closet for a long time.
Since the whole outfit was in a certain classic tone, I decided to take my favorite Dolce & Gabbana sneakers that I bought a few years ago, for the umpteenth time. I must admit that they completed this outfit in an unusual way. They may have spent some time in the closet, but in the end they got their five minutes! Of course, this shade of drape color fits perfectly with my pastel colors in the wardrobe.
My dear fashionistas, we have come to the end of another autumn fashion story, where together we discovered the beauty and brilliance of sporty timeless elegance of casual fashion with the famous French fashion house IKKS, the beauty of the new revolutionary and special Swiss watch brand DONE, partners with whom fashion stories a real adventure. I sincerely hope you got some inspiration for your ideal fall outfit!
See you soon and continue our fashion adventures on the Mr.M blog! How did you like my outfit today? I really tried my best to prepare today’s post with lots of love and I hope you like it!
If you have any questions, comments, suggestions or any message for me, you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social media channels, which you can find on the CONTACT page. I’ll see you soon!
With Love,
Mr.M
This post is sponsored by IKKS and DONE brands. This post is my personal and honest review of their products.