Paris has long been known as the home of fashion – birthing and housing most of the industry’s most iconic names, and long upholding a reputation of strict elegance. But not far from the ateliers of established maisons exists another fashion reality in the city: an explosive, and thriving, streetwear scene.
At the centre of this scene is Project X Paris – the streetwear brand that has become ingrained within the very culture of the city thanks to its collaborations with key French musicians and wild popularity amongst young Parisians. Created by brothers Jimmy and Maxime Gov back in 2013, the brand is now on its 16th collection, with a cult following on social media and its apparel in more than 60 doors across Europe.
At its core, the brand operates at the intersection of hip-hop culture and French elegance – blending classic streetwear silhouettes with elevated fabrication and textures. Signature pieces include hoodies, puffer jackets and cargo pants, which come in an extensive colour palette – and that have become a key component of Project X’s brand identity.
As the brand prepared to launch its new collection in its Paris flagship store with a star-studded event, we caught up with founders Maxime and Jimmy to talk all things Project X Paris, studying in London, and their relationship with music.
Hey Maxime and Jimmy. Back before Project X was conceptualised, you studied at LCF. Tell us about it!
M: I loved it – I learnt many things there, and was able to translate what I’d learnt with my parents at their clothing business into a new realm.
London or Paris?
M: Umm… Paris. But I love shopping in London – they have more for young people there compared to Paris’ haute couture and expensive brands.
Speaking of young people, Project X is huge with Gen Z, who access a lot of their fashion knowledge via social media. How important are both to the brand?
J: Our big thing is being affordable yet premium – premium in the sense of fabrications obviously, but also being premium in creativity. We’ve kept our prices the same throughout the pandemic and inflation so that young people can actually afford our products.
In terms of social media, it helps, but our success is really product-driven. In Italy, we’ve never put a penny into marketing and we’re not ‘known’ at all – but it’s up there with our top performing markets, just thanks to the product itself and word of mouth.
At one point, Project X was known as *the* streetwear brand for French rappers. Talk to us about your relationship with music and how it influences the brand.
M: We love Hip Hop on a personal level, it’s really important to us, so it made sense to work it into our work, too! We have Kalash performing tonight for the launch of our new collection, who’s major in France and beyond.
We’ve also done collaborations within the Manga, gaming and art worlds too.
Nice! Now for some quick fires: who’s your dream collaborator?
M: Kendrick Lamar. Maybe next year haha.
What 3 spots would you have to hit in Paris?
M: We have the best restaurants in the world, so you’ve got to eat French cuisine while you’re here.
J: Musée de’Orsay is amazing – they have Monet in there. And Sacré-Cœur – the view is amazing and it’s a great place to be.
What’s next for Project X?
J: Our job is to keep it growing. We want to expand in the UK and Spain over the next few years, as well as keep growing in France. Big things coming!
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