Besnard - Official Affiliate Thread

[VictorBesnard]

Hi everyone,

Victor Besnard here, founder of Besnard. I’m very excited to join Styleforum as an official affiliate and I would like to take this opportunity to provide those of you who do not know us with a little background about our company, vision and products.

Besnard is a heritage brand specialised in tailoring, classic menswear and accessories. The company was established in 1876 by my great-great-grandfather A. Besnard, who owned a bespoke tailoring shop in The Hague (La Haye), The Netherlands. In 2018, I revived the company with a new focus on ready-to-wear.

It is our philosophy to design and produce garments that are well-made and strike the right balance between traditional style and modern wearability. In our collection, you will find wardrobe staples such as heavy weight oxford cloth button down shirts, flannel trousers with pleats and side-adjusters, and grenadine ties.

We work with a number of family-run workshops in Italy which are all true specialists in their craft. Our ties are handsewn in Puglia and feature hand rolled blades. Our shirt maker in Naples still cuts all shirts by hand to ensure that all patterns match. The collar, armholes, buttons and gusset are all attached by hand.

Fabrics are carefully selected from renowned mills across Europe. Examples include Hardy Minnis Fresco, Fox Brothers flannels and Thomas Mason shirting. We’re always on the lookout for rare cloths. Last year for instance, we found a few meters of vintage navy dupioni silk which we used for a small series of sport coats.

We are a family owned and operated company and we enjoy having a dialogue with our customers. So if you have any questions about products, sizing or other topics, feel free to post them here or email me at [email protected].

Kind regards,

Victor Besnard

Website: www.besnard.co
Instagram: @besnardofficial
Facebook: @besnardofficial

 

[Stylewords]

I have some of your shirts. Highly recommended.

 

[othertravel]

Do you have more sport coats and suits coming?

Welcome to the forum!

 

[LA Guy]

Hi everyone,

Victor Besnard here, founder of Besnard. I’m very excited to join Styleforum as an official affiliate and I would like to take this opportunity to provide those of you who do not know us with a little background about our company, vision and products.

Besnard is a ready-to-wear brand focused on classic menswear and tailoring. The company was established in 1878 by my great-great-grandfather A. Besnard, who owned a bespoke tailoring shop in The Hague (La Haye), The Netherlands. In 2018, I revived the company with a new focus on ready-to-wear.

View attachment 1766368

It is our philosophy to design and produce garments that are well-made and strike the right balance between traditional style and modern wearability. In our collection you will find wardrobe staples such as heavy weight oxford cloth button down shirts, flannel trousers with pleats and side-adjusters, and grenadine ties.

View attachment 1766369

We work with a number of family-run workshops in Italy which are all true specialists in their craft. Our ties are handsewn in Puglia and feature hand rolled blades. Our shirt maker in Naples still cuts all shirts by hand to ensure that all patterns match. The collar, armholes, buttons and gusset are all attached by hand.

Fabrics are carefully selected from renowned mills across Europe. Examples include Hardy Minnis Fresco, Fox Brothers flannels and Thomas Mason shirting. We’re always on the lookout for rare cloths. Last year for instance, we found a few meters of vintage navy dupioni silk which we used for a small series of sport coats.

View attachment 1766393

We are a family owned and operated company and we enjoy having a dialogue with our customers. So if you have any questions about products, sizing or other topics, feel free to post them here or email me at [email protected].

Kind regards,

Victor Besnard

Website: www.besnard.co
Instagram: @besnardofficial
Facebook: @besnardofficial

Welcome. And I did now know that you had revived such a venerable house. That's pretty amazing.

Cheers,

Fok.

 

[mossrockss]

Welcome Victor! I think you've got a fantastic eye for tailored clothes that work in a contemporary context. I've tried your shirts in the past, and am quite intrigued to try your trousers and tailored jackets soon. The styling and photo quality on your product pages is better than anybody else's, not exaggerating.

Welcome to the forum!

Here's a portrait I shot of Victor at Pitti last time we were both there, January 2020. Hope to see you in June!

 

[Viral]

Welcome to SF @VictorBesnard!

When is your S/S22 collection hiting the website?

 

[ericgereghty]

Would love to see the trousers have them legs widened a bit. They look awesome otherwise

 

[CasuallyWorked]

Welcome! Definitely love what you guys are doing and think your look books are amazing.

 

[VictorBesnard]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome!

Great to hear that some of you already had to chance to try our products.

Welcome to SF @VictorBesnard!

When is your S/S22 collection hiting the website?

Unfortunately, we experienced some heavy delays this season. I expect Spring Summer to be available in the beginning of April. I will make sure to share a sneak preview on this thread when the first products are in.

Do you have more sport coats and suits coming?

Welcome to the forum!

This season we will introduce one sport coat in Irish linen (in our new pattern which we developed in the last 12 months). We hope to expand the collection soon (I have already have my eye on a few cloths for FW)

Would love to see the trousers have them legs widened a bit. They look awesome otherwise

This is definitely something we're exploring for future seasons, a new model in a wider style.

 

[clee1982]

Show some pictures!

 

[VictorBesnard]

Show some pictures!

In the coming days I will share some information and pictures to showcase our products. In the next post I will share a bit more about our shirts and how they are made.

If there are any particular products you want to see or know more about. Let me know!

 

[VictorBesnard]

I thought it would be nice to showcase our products and explain a bit more about how they are made. The first post is dedicated to our shirts.

At present, we have four type of shirts; a button-down shirt with box pleat and chest pocket, a spread collar shirt, a tab collar shirt and a camp collar shirt.

We chose to focus on handwork that we believe adds the most value to the shirt. Each shirt is cut by hand to ensure that all patterns are matched on the shoulder, sleeves and placket. We selected four handmade steps that not only look aesthetically pleasing but also have a functional benefit. Below, we present the handmade steps that go into the construction of our shirts.

Collar
The collar is upturned and fastened with a pin before it is sewn by hand onto the shirt in a circle, giving it a natural curve and roundness.

Button attachment
The second handmade detail on our shirts is the button attachment. Each button is attached by hand in a crow stitch style, or zampa di gallina and shanked afterwards.

Armhole
In the Neapolitan tradition, the block is stitched first, and subsequently the sleeves are put in. The sleeves are inserted slightly turned forward enabling the sleeve to follow the natural line of the arm. A noticeable detail of this method is slightly misaligned side-seams under the armscye.

Gusset
The gusset is a triangular piece of fabric at the bottom of the shirt and prevents the shirt from ripping at the seam. The gussets on each of our shirts is sewn exclusively by hand.

Conical cuff
Each shirt has cuffs that are cut in a conical style that hugs the wrist. It enables a better fit as it tapers along with the sleeve, in contrast to the straight barrel cuff, which can seem more straight and loose.

The conical cuff can be rare on ready-to-wear shirts as it is more difficult to make. It also provides a more distinctive finish to a shirt.

I hope this provides a bit more information about our shirts and the large amount of skill that goes into their creation.

If you are interested in finding out more, you can find the full article here Neapolitan Shirts.

 

[Notch]

I was introduced to Victor a while back through a mutual friend. He's a great guy who genuinely knows his stuff. The quality of his shirts is second to none and it is refreshing to see Italian manufacturing make a return.

From the cool vibes on your Instagram page (I mean, come on: ,

to the ever expanding collection of well curated menswear pieces, you have a great thing going and I'm sure Besnard will be a forum favorite in no time!

Welcome to the forum Victor, and to those contemplating an order, go for it!

 

[prof.contingency]

Hi everyone,

Victor Besnard here, founder of Besnard. I’m very excited to join Styleforum as an official affiliate and I would like to take this opportunity to provide those of you who do not know us with a little background about our company, vision and products.

Besnard is a ready-to-wear brand focused on classic menswear and tailoring. The company was established in 1878 by my great-great-grandfather A. Besnard, who owned a bespoke tailoring shop in The Hague (La Haye), The Netherlands. In 2018, I revived the company with a new focus on ready-to-wear.

View attachment 1766368

It is our philosophy to design and produce garments that are well-made and strike the right balance between traditional style and modern wearability. In our collection you will find wardrobe staples such as heavy weight oxford cloth button down shirts, flannel trousers with pleats and side-adjusters, and grenadine ties.

View attachment 1766369

We work with a number of family-run workshops in Italy which are all true specialists in their craft. Our ties are handsewn in Puglia and feature hand rolled blades. Our shirt maker in Naples still cuts all shirts by hand to ensure that all patterns match. The collar, armholes, buttons and gusset are all attached by hand.

Fabrics are carefully selected from renowned mills across Europe. Examples include Hardy Minnis Fresco, Fox Brothers flannels and Thomas Mason shirting. We’re always on the lookout for rare cloths. Last year for instance, we found a few meters of vintage navy dupioni silk which we used for a small series of sport coats.

View attachment 1766393

We are a family owned and operated company and we enjoy having a dialogue with our customers. So if you have any questions about products, sizing or other topics, feel free to post them here or email me at [email protected].

Kind regards,

Victor Besnard

Website: www.besnard.co
Instagram: @besnardofficial
Facebook: @besnardofficial

Welcome, Victor!

 

[VictorBesnard]

I promised to provide a bit of background about the different products in our collection.

Today, I want to explain a bit about our tailored trousers; the cut, the details and materials.

The cut
Back in the day, bespoke tailors would cut their customers’ trousers – and sport coats – with a clear sense of proportion and drape. The most noticeable difference between this traditional cut and contemporary fashion is probably the waist.

We prefer a high rise to sit at the natural waist. A high waist accentuates the narrowest part of the body and visually lengthens the legs, leading to a more masculine sense of proportion. It also looks better with tailoring, as the top of the waistband is close to the button stance of a sport coat.

With opted for single reverse pleats that allow for a clean lined drape to the hem. The trousers are slightly tapered towards the bottom, giving them an elegant yet modern appearance.

The hems of our trousers are left unfinished, so that you can have them tailored to your own sartorial preference. We generally recommend a turn-up of 2 inches. A turn-up adds a bit of extra weight at the bottom of the trousers, improving the drape of the leg.

The details
The side adjusters eliminate the need for a belt, resulting in a clean line and silhouette. Our buckles come from the same British company that is also trusted by some of the famous tailors on Savile Row.

Another detail worthy of note is the traditional button fly. This is rarely used outside bespoke tailoring and is a true nod to the classical trousers made by Albert Besnard more than a century ago.

Fabric & Materials
We aim to use only natural materials in our products, therefore genuine horn was an obvious choice for the buttons. We opted for a classic shape made from high quality buffalo horn. The horn was slightly buffed to achieve a clean and elegant look.

Our tailored trouser is currently available in a flannel by Fox Brothers, flannel by Vitale Barberis Canonico, and Fresco by Hardy Minnis.

Curious to hear your thoughts!