18-05-2025
Agnes b. Japan CEO hopes to evolve the brand with focus on sustainability
The head office of Agnes b. in Tokyo's Meguro district has a calm, but industrious tempo. An original photography work by indie darling Rinko Kawauchi and a vintage Smiths poster are among the artworks that edge an open-plan office, where much has been recycled and repurposed.
At the center, a glassy atelier space is a constant reminder of the craft at the heart of the business, while a prominent display for the Tara Ocean Foundation — an environmental and scientific research and education initiative founded by Agnes b. — stands close by.
The office is a reflection of the brand looking ahead, under the guidance of Laurent Patouillet, the CEO and president of Agnes b. Japan.
'The focus is on making sure that we evolve. It's not about growth, it's about evolving,' said Patouillet, who has headed the group's operations in the country since 2018. 'Many businesses are just growing, growing, growing. What we're really trying to do is keep our independence and evolve and adapt.'
Founded in 1975 by Agnes Trouble, the French fashion and lifestyle brand became a formative shopping experience for generations of young people who were drawn to Trouble's world view — which continues to weave together fashion, art, film, music and photography with an emphasis on sustainability.
In Japan, the intricate handwritten scrawl that makes up the Agnes b. logo is a fairly ubiquitous sight. The brand was embraced quickly after its 1983 arrival, and generations of loyal shoppers transformed Japan into the brand's largest market. There are now 133 stores in Japan, and the country is expected to play an important role in the company's future, too.
Today, Trouble, who is 83, remains highly engaged in the business that bears her name. She is closely in touch with Patouillet and regularly sends photographs of her handwritten notes to the Japan team.
In Japan, the intricate handwritten scrawl that makes up the Agnes b. logo is a fairly ubiquitous sight. |
Elizabeth Beattie
Patouillet, who grew up wearing the Agnes b. brand himself, described Trouble as 'instinctive' — noting the success of the early expansion in Japan.
'She did not expect Asia would become that big, but she had the instinct that it would be crucial for keeping her independence,' he said, noting that the early physical presence in Japan helped solidify the brand in the market long term.
Junko Yamada, who manages the Agnes b. Aoyama store, said the brand's classic, yet eclectic styles appealed to shoppers in Japan from the beginning.
'The brand is not blown by the fashion trends,' Yamada said, noting that many customers who frequent the store — a multistory retail space topped with a full-size gallery space — had 'grown up' with the brand since it's been in Japan for more than four decades.
Klara Blanc, a brand consultant at Monopo Tokyo, who is originally from France and has collaborated with Agnes b. herself, said the brand has multi-generational appeal.
'For Japanese women, they've seen their mom wearing it and when they want to buy their first nice bag — most people don't have the means to buy Chanel — then they might go to Agnes b.,' she said.
'I think many people do understand this relates to cinema and music, and they really like that. It's not only about the design, which is really beautiful, timeless and effortless, but everything that's behind the brand, I think that's something the Japanese consumer really cares about.'
Junko Yamada, who manages Agnes b.'s Aoyama store, said the brand's classic, yet eclectic styles appealed to shoppers in Japan from the moment it arrived in 1983. |
Elizabeth Beattie
As is the case with its Paris operation, Agnes b. in Japan has culturally ingratiated itself with art, music and the local cultural scene in Japan. The brand has worked with Kyotographie, the annual international photography festival, on exhibitions. It also recently supported the Yokohama French Film Festival and hosts regular exhibitions as well as events.
Yamada said the retail space was intended to be a place of inspiration for customers and visitors, whether that be raising awareness in sustainability or as a place to discover art.
'It's Agnes' spirit, we can feel the excitement in the store. It's not only a space to sell clothes,' Yamada said.
In Japan, under Patouillet, the brand has been careful to read the air and adapt sensitively to the local market. In 2023, the company transformed a machiya, or a traditional merchant townhouse, in Kyoto's Gion district into a cafe and boutique to celebrate its 40th anniversary in the country. The process — a collaboration with designer Teruhiro Yanagihara — highlighted the gray areas which can be challenging for foreign brands to navigate.
'There are many rules — written rules and unwritten rules,' said Patouillet, who added that engaging with local experts is key. 'It was not so difficult in the end. If you want to do something, you have to ask all the people of the area.'
And like much of the Agnes b. world, even this process involved a flair of the artistic.
Patouillet described the moment the elegant building owner, a former geisha, arrived in the narrow streets of Gion to meet them, driving in a large white Maserati SUV, dressed in an intricate kimono — as being like a scene from a Quentin Tarantino film.
In 2023, Agnes b. transformed a traditional merchant townhouse in Kyoto's Gion district into a cafe and boutique. |
Courtesy of Daisuke Shima
The following day when her car pulled up again, her attire had changed.
'She comes back the next day with the same SUV, but this time she's dressed all in Agnes b.,' Patouillet said with a smile.
While businesses typically hunger for expansion, the fact that the company is overseen by the founder as an unlisted firm changes the dynamic. Trouble emphasizes sustainability as an important aspect of the brand, and doesn't want to chase boundless growth.
And Patouillet believes there is more that the company can do to be environmentally sustainable.
One ongoing experiment for the brand in Japan is the sale of vintage products. The mentality behind it is almost gallery-esque — with secondhand T-shirts curated as unique one-off items.
'It's time to stop buying like crazy and to understand what you're buying. At least buy something meaningful, or something with a story, or something that will help an artist, or a cause. This is what we were trying to do,' he said.
What is clear for Patouillet is that Agnes b. doesn't want to be like other fashion retailers: beautiful exteriors with exorbitant waste behind the scenes. While fast fashion is certainly getting better at baking in recycling to their production cycles, the overproduction itself is a trap, Patouillet said.
'It doesn't change the original concept or idea that they want to sell more and produce more,' he said. 'At the end of the day, the business model is fundamentally wrong.'
Agnes b.'s cafe in Kyoto |
Courtesy of Daisuke Shima
With everything from supply chain auditing to juggling environmentally conscious retail expansions, the Japan operation has plenty of work to keep it busy. And there is a sense that a deeper change is set to come.
Ultimately, the future direction of the business is a big question. With Trouble's advanced age, a shift in leadership will be inevitable at some point. Patouillet defers the future of the company to Trouble and her family, but it's hard not to see him playing a significant role in shepherding the business in the future, given the importance of Japan.
But with much in flux, the brand's world view is something that will not be changing.
'It's not only about just buying products,' Patouillet said.
'It's also about dreaming, having a good life, good experiences and discovering things — discovering emotions, music, art, science, the sea, the planet. That's really what it's about,' he said.
