ATLEIN PARIS: A Tribute to The Ocean
There is a place that gathers the fashion crowd several times a year. In the marathon between New York and London lies a space where dreams, ideas, ambitions, and celebrations are born. Said place is the Atlantic Ocean.
For Antonin Tron, founder of Atlein (At-line), such place nurtured his childhood and became the central axis of his brand. As a tribute to the mystery, fluidity, and strength of the Atlantic—so present in our city of A Coruña—it’s particularly intriguing how this point of connection has inspired such diverse results, from Jules Verne to Atlein.
So, let’s talk about the Atlein dress brand, newly arrived at our women’s store, website, and APP:
The Crafting of a World
To say that Atlein began in 2015 would be an oversimplification. Although it debuted in 2016, in the humble Parisian flat of Antonin Tron, with his mother serving coffee to the guests, Antonin’s project had been in the making all his life.
With a childhood spent between Paris and family car trips to the coast, Antonin Tron developed a deep respect for the ocean and its nature. Although he initially sought a future in volcanology, his time in Antwerp (Belgium) seemed like something out of a fairy tale. Visiting a friend, and with little interest in fashion, he had the chance to visit the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. This legendary school, which produced talents such as the Antwerp Six (Ann Demeulemeester, Marina Yee, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Bikkembergs, Dirk Van Saene, and Walter Van Beirendonck), had a new talent to nurture.
After graduating from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Tron worked at Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton, and Givenchy before founding his own venture.
Sustainable at its Core
L’Officiel recounts a key anecdote in the young Antonin’s history. On their many trips to the beach, his mother refused to use features like air conditioning “to save fuel for the future”. This way of viewing life, his contact with nature, and his desire to amend the flaws in fashion production are the fundamental pillars of his work.
A surfer by hobby, Antonin maintains a connection with the water and the mystery of the Atlantic (his “favourite place in the world”) that he brings to each of his creations.
“I wanted to create an alternative system, because how do you create fashion today? Whenever you create something, you destroy something.”
Antonin Tron, L'Officiel US
In his quest to offer something respectful of nature and conscious of the destruction in creation, Antonin took the most logical steps from the outset: local production, working with small workshops, saying goodbye to exotic leathers, and using jersey fabric.
Inspired by and for Women
Inspired by one of his heroes, the British designer Jean Muir, as well as the fluid and strong ocean waves, jersey fabric would become the base of most of his dresses. According to Antonin, his goal is for women to be free, feel comfortable, and find high-level pieces with a certain conscientious component.
Thus, dedicated to both fashion lovers and his friends detached from the industry, Atlein is designed to enhance and highlight the beauty of the female form. His new collection for Autumn 2024 is the first to arrive at OTTODISANPIETRO.
His vision for this collection: action heroines. Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman… His idea of women facing the elements in the world of science fiction resulted in fluid silhouettes encapsulated in embellishments and outerwear suggesting toughness and protection.
The creative process begins in the same way as other greats, like Alber Elbaz at Lanvin, constructing clothes directly on the body. The (difficult) and rigorous process of draping jersey fabric translates into timeless collections that blend his love for nature with his Parisian sensibility.
His work has earned him two ANDAM awards: the Creative Brand Prize in 2016 and the ANDAM Grand Prize in 2018. His success lies in his ability to adapt traditional French sewing techniques to the modern style of his brand. The body is the central element of his garment construction. His muses include Aymeline Valade (known for her creative perspectives, curiosity, and athletic figure for a model). She, who portrayed Saint Laurent’s muse Betty Catroux in the 2014 biopic, now represents the fluidity and strength that Antonin conveys with each of his creations.
