Stephane Ashpool, founder of French label and retailer Pigalle, has been awarded the ANDAM Grand Prix style award, marking the first time a label with a streetwear vibe has won the prestigous French award. Past winners include Gareth Pugh, Anthony Vaccarello, Giles Deacon, Iris Van Herpen and Maison Martin Margiela to name a few. The prize will allow Ashpool to expand his label’s production and also have global distribution via The Corner.com. He will also as receive a cash prize and mentoring from Chanel’s president of global fashion, Bruno Pavlovsky.
Founded in 2008, Pigalle gained cult status as a niche streetwear brand with limited distribution and a devoted following among the trendsetters like Asap Rocky who famously rocked a lot of Pigalle in 2013 and contributed to the label’s international visibility. Of the influential rapper, Ashpool has said, “He’s from Harlem, which is in my opinion is one of the places in the world that can build trends. They come out with trends… and then the rest of the world, step by step, follows.”