XL’s Featured Tribe’s Brand: Monsieur Max

1. What are your biggest fashion obstacles?

The main obstacle is to find exciting, trendy plus size items for our customers. Main brands rarely venture into plus size territory as they wrongly consider it an image risk. And plus size specialists are usually very small companies offering mainstream, no risk fashion adapted to big and tall customers

2. Where are you from and what are biggest fashion trends in your city?

Our company is based near Lyon In France. Despite a rich garment history (especially in silk production), Lyon is not a trend setting place like Paris or even Marseille. Those places are only a 2 hour TGV ride away and being an internet business helps us compensate.  I would say main trends revolve around the hip, motor centered styles as well as ethnic, urban, streetwear fashion.

3. Tell us about your biggest fashion nightmare and if it came true do explain. (attach a picture if you can)

Well when it comes to plus sizes, nightmares are just plain reality. Impossible to find a decent trench coat or even a flight jacket beyond 3XL!

4. What are some of your biggest style inspirations?

We look at the way plus size fashion evolves in the US, where it seems to have reached a more mature level.

Paradoxically, it is more sophisticated there, and more diverse as it crosses a lot of urban influences.

Unfortunately, most of it is out of reach for us. On a day to day basis, we tend to look at general fashion trends as we see it in Paris or London and try to offer styles that allow our customers to get a bite of what’s cool and hip.

5.Where do you see yourself in five years and who do you see yourself doing?

Our goal is to become the qualitative leader in plus size fashions in France, online. Our plan is to roll over our concept in other European countries over the next years.

The key is to offer attractive, trendy brands that trigger impulse purchases for our plus size public, just for any other public.

Site design and customer service will be strategic in achieving this goal.

6.What do you feel is missing in fashion for the men of size?

More brands need to feel it is ok to expand beyond 2XL, that would be a great start! We feel mainstream brands, especially in sportswear and streetwear styles are slowly getting there.

Also, we need more plus size men to become popular role models in the media, to help promote self-acceptance and confidence.

Our website is www.monsieur-max.com Instagram monsieurmaxofficiel Twitter monsieurmaxxl