Written by Menswear Style in Interviews on the 30th September 2021

Pierre-Yves Monnerville is the Founder of Monnerville. When he was growing up in Paris, he was often warned that walking around town wearing sportswear was ‘risky' for young black men. The risk was being stopped by the police and asked for an ID. This is why today he enjoys designing smart, ethical, sportswear clothes that he wished he could have worn back then. We're now at a time when it's okay to work in comfortable, sportswear inspired clothes, especially when we don't need to go to the office as often. The unfathomable change we've all been experiencing led Pierre to launch Monnerville and design a range of timeless basics made up of premium ethical athleisure style menswear. He believes we all need to consume less and make clothes that people will love wearing time and time again. Smart and comfortable enough to work from home in, yet stylish enough for a night out at your favourite bar.

In a recent episode of the MenswearStyle Podcast we interviewed Pierre-Yves Monnerville, Founder at Monnerville about what inspired him to launch his ethical athleisure brand in 2020 during Covid-19 after a 17 year career working as Cabin Crew. Using organic cotton, the garments are sustainable and made in West London in small batches. Our host Peter Brooker and Pierre talked about the design process, accessing funding, sustainability, and the global pandemic.

“I launched the brand in December of 2020, and it's a brand focussed on ethical athleisure menswear. We are very much inspired by sportswear and by rugby jerseys, and we use organic cotton that is made here in the UK. The garments are made in West London in Twickenham in very small batches, too. I actually came to fashion in a very roundabout way. The reason I moved to the UK about 17 years ago was because I got a job as cabin crew for an airline. During those 17 years, I went back to university to study industrial design and when I was doing my final year project, I was wondering what I would do with my degree. There was a very strong emphasis on sustainability, and I researched hemp and saw that there were hundreds of uses for it, including within fabric. I've always been interested in sustainability, and when I was a child, it was called ecology. I work with different mentors across fashion, business, and marketing, but I always try to remember that at the end of the day, it’s my vision and it's my experience. It's also very important for me to share music on my website because music has always been my companion since I was young and continues to inspire me today.”

This is a shortened transcribed edit of episode 138 of the MenswearStyle Podcast with Pierre-Yves Monnerville, founder of monnerville.co. You can listen to the full version below or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast player.

We sit down with Pierre-Yves Monnerville to talk about Monnerville Clothing, Ethical Clothing, Minimalist athleisure for men, and the brand's launch product Urban Jersey.