AVANT

Yee-haw! Ladies and gentlemen, AVANT is proud to present its fifth issue: An Anthology of Western Wear.

In this new book, AVANT explores the American West. You will meet, at the bend of a saloon or a rodeo, personalities such as Rodeo Ben, Gene Autry,
Tom Mix, Nathan Turk, and of course iconic brands of Western Wear such as Levi's, Wrangler, Lee, Nudie's, Frontex and many others.

Put on your boots and hat, and join us on the roads of the American West!

This fourth issue is once again dedicated to American Workwear and is a sequel of the first issue, which was published in February 2019.

In it, we tell the story of Chinese immigrants during the Gold Rush, the discovery of rare Levi’s pants from 1880 in a California mine, and of these details which collectors love, like vents holes on work shirts, or the famous “chinstrap.”

Levi Strauss & Co.’s former historian, Lynn Downey, also looks back on her journey, while Taiwanese vintage aficionados explain to us why vintage is rising in Taiwan.

We also converse with Akira Tsuchida, owner of Japanese store Mushroom Vintage, and Michael Harris, the author of Jeans of the Old West.

Each story lets us dive into the history of the United States and offers a modern perspective on the way these clothes have influenced the course of history and continue to interact with our society today.

This fourth issue is once again dedicated to American Workwear and is a sequel of the first issue, which was published in February 2019.

In it, we tell the story of Chinese immigrants during the Gold Rush, the discovery of rare Levi’s pants from 1880 in a California mine, and of these details which collectors love, like vents holes on work shirts, or the famous “chinstrap.”

Levi Strauss & Co.’s former historian, Lynn Downey, also looks back on her journey, while Taiwanese vintage aficionados explain to us why vintage is rising in Taiwan.

We also converse with Akira Tsuchida, owner of Japanese store Mushroom Vintage, and Michael Harris, the author of Jeans of the Old West.

Each story lets us dive into the history of the United States and offers a modern perspective on the way these clothes have influenced the course of history and continue to interact with our society today.

Founder of AVANT, Eric Maggiori has collected American workwear
and militaria for the past 10 years.

In this special publication called “AVANT Presents : Eric Maggiori’s Collection'“, he opens the doors of his collection, and showcases the best pieces he has been able to get his hands on. Including, when possible, the story that comes with each item; because every piece of clothing has a story to tell.

Printed with a gold foil stamp. 196 pages of exclusive content.
A limited edition of 1000 copies with a numbered certificate of authenticity.

ENGLISH VERSION

In this third issue, An Anthology of French Workwear, we dig into the history of France with particular focus on the workers, the farmers and the peasants during the 19th and the 20th centuries. 

We converse with Tom Gruat, the king of French workwear, but also with Denis Bruna, curator in chief of the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris, and Frederic Marc Marion, vintage dealer and collector of French workwear. We also talk with six experts of French Workwear in Japan, so they can explain to us how it’s booming right now in Japan.

We visit Euro Costumes, a costume rental company in Pantin, near Paris, and we talk to its owner, Pascale Bourtequoi, who explain how she build a colossal stock of antique clothes. 

We also teach you how to recognize buttons on a French hunting jacket, and explain what moleskin really is. 

STORIES & TALES 

• Miners and ‘bleus de travail’ : Discover the great history of miners from the North of France and their outfit of choice. 

• The Firefighter’s Ball : 19th century indigo linen firefighter jackets attract French workwear lovers from all around.
• Le Mont Saint-Michel, Breton history : Read the story of this legendary brand, who has dressed Breton peasants for decades (and it's not done yet!)

• Japan under the « French » spell : In Japan, French workwear has experienced a real boom in the past years. Six store owners tell us about this societal phenomenon.

• Visiting Euro-Costumes : Walk down the aisles of the largest costume rental company in France.

INTERVIEWS 

• Tom Gruat : When it comes to French workwear, he is the leading reference. His interview is a must-read.

• Douglas Gunn : Founders of the Vintage Showroom, Douglas Gunn and Roy Luckett have published two books in which they highlight French workwear pieces.

• Denis Bruna : Chief curator at the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris, he has studied the evolution of working class clothing dating back to the Middle Ages. 

• Frédéric Marc Marion : Founder of the Bazar des Poilus, he goes back in time to retrace his career.

ART & ILLUSTRATIONS 

• La Moisson : Unique cover painting by Geg Newbokld made exclusively for Avant Magazine.
• Douce France : A series of French antique pictures from the archives of Tom Gruat, Romainville’s town hall, and the Museum of Bretagne.
• Private Collection : Rare French pieces from the personal collection of Tom Gruat. 

AND MORE…

Moleskin jacket - Animal buttons on French hunting jackets - What is indigo linen - La France Travail, an beautiful collection of old books…

ENGLISH VERSION

In this third issue, An Anthology of French Workwear, we dig into the history of France with particular focus on the workers, the farmers and the peasants during the 19th and the 20th centuries. 

We converse with Tom Gruat, the king of French workwear, but also with Denis Bruna, curator in chief of the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris, and Frederic Marc Marion, vintage dealer and collector of French workwear. We also talk with six experts of French Workwear in Japan, so they can explain to us how it’s booming right now in Japan.

We visit Euro Costumes, a costume rental company in Pantin, near Paris, and we talk to its owner, Pascale Bourtequoi, who explain how she build a colossal stock of antique clothes. 

We also teach you how to recognize buttons on a French hunting jacket, and explain what moleskin really is. 

STORIES & TALES 

• Miners and ‘bleus de travail’ : Discover the great history of miners from the North of France and their outfit of choice. 

• The Firefighter’s Ball : 19th century indigo linen firefighter jackets attract French workwear lovers from all around.
• Le Mont Saint-Michel, Breton history : Read the story of this legendary brand, who has dressed Breton peasants for decades (and it's not done yet!)

• Japan under the « French » spell : In Japan, French workwear has experienced a real boom in the past years. Six store owners tell us about this societal phenomenon.

• Visiting Euro-Costumes : Walk down the aisles of the largest costume rental company in France.

INTERVIEWS 

• Tom Gruat : When it comes to French workwear, he is the leading reference. His interview is a must-read.

• Douglas Gunn : Founders of the Vintage Showroom, Douglas Gunn and Roy Luckett have published two books in which they highlight French workwear pieces.

• Denis Bruna : Chief curator at the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris, he has studied the evolution of working class clothing dating back to the Middle Ages. 

• Frédéric Marc Marion : Founder of the Bazar des Poilus, he goes back in time to retrace his career.

ART & ILLUSTRATIONS 

• La Moisson : Unique cover painting by Geg Newbokld made exclusively for Avant Magazine.
• Douce France : A series of French antique pictures from the archives of Tom Gruat, Romainville’s town hall, and the Museum of Bretagne.
• Private Collection : Rare French pieces from the personal collection of Tom Gruat. 

AND MORE…

Moleskin jacket - Animal buttons on French hunting jackets - What is indigo linen - La France Travail, an beautiful collection of old books…

In this second issue, An Anthology of American Militaria, we dig into military clothing with particular focus on the U.S armed forces during the Great Wars of the 20th century.

We converse with Paul Milbury, Bob Chatt, and Jeff Spielberg, three vintage dealers and collectors passionate about History and Militaria. We talk with eight experts about the impact of social media on the vintage market. We discuss the deontological limits associated with collecting Militaria.

We explore the West Coast Militaria collectors show in Pomona, an event you definitely can’t miss if you’re a Militaria fan. We also teach you how to decipher the labels attached to military garments.


STORIES & TALES

• Denim Nation Army : Discover why U.S Army and Navy factions started to wear blue denim at the beginning of 1900’s.
• Full Painted Jackets : Read the story of the American aviators who took intense delight in customizing their A-2 jackets with diverse patterns.
• USMC P41 : The P41 utilities are one of the most iconic military workwear uniforms of the 20th century.

INTERVIEWS

• Max Sardi : Shop manager of The Real McCoy’s London store, he is one of the first to share his knowledge on the Internet through the blog, Sanforized.
• Charles Lemons : The historian released a collection of books called Uniforms of the Us Army Ground Forces 1939-1945, a reference for every militaria fan.
• Jeff Spielberg : After more than thirty years in the business, he now houses one of the largest collections in the world.

ART & ILLUSTRATIONS

• Distant Rain : Unique cover painting by Brett Allen Johnson made exclusively for Avant Magazine.
• Memories of War : A series of WW2 pictures from Nick Soderstrom’s personal collection.
• Private Military Collection : Thirty-two rare pieces of military clothing from the collections of Eric Maggiori, Tom Gruat, and Gauthier Borsarello.

AND MORE…

Iconic Daisy Mae - How did the Military Uniform impact menswear - The best « repro » brands - Masterpiece : the 1908 US Army CAC denim shirt.

The first issue of AVANT focuses on american workwear, with an emphasis on the Gold Rush, the rise of denim, the Japanese passion for Americana, the American Labor Unions, the denim hunters, the collectors, the heritage...