An estimated 1980s-era short jacket from CLOSED by Marithé François Girbaud, bearing the distinctive mark of deformed design.
A special acquisition.
Marithé François Girbaud is a fashion brand established in 1972 in Paris by its namesakes, Marithé Bachellerie and François Girbaud, who would come to define an era of radical textile innovation.
They were the first to industrialize stonewash treatment in denim, and pioneered singular silhouettes—the baggy jean, the engineered jean—that would reshape contemporary fashion.
These innovations captured the imagination of the fashion world throughout the 1980s and 1990s, finding particular resonance within hip-hop culture, where artists and youth embraced the brand's forward-thinking approach to form and function.
Yet by the 2000s, the house faced commercial pressures, effectively ceasing operations in 2014. The Girbaud of that golden era exists now only in the archive.
Marithé François Girbaud expanded the possibilities of denim through innovation and design, fundamentally shaping the fashion industry. Their legacy endures among those who recognize authentic style and philosophy.
This piece emerges from CLOSED, the casual line through which Girbaud continued to explore new territories.
Established in 1978 as a dedicated denim brand, CLOSED pursued novel possibilities within the form. The X-Pocket Jeans became iconic—a design so distinctive it remains synonymous with the label to this day.
But to this jacket itself. A word seems necessary: unconventional.
The piece announces itself immediately as something beyond the ordinary, yet only upon close examination—handling it, understanding its construction—does the true boldness of its conception become clear.
Both the conceptual input and the manufacturing execution bear the signature of Girbaud's restless innovation.
The defining characteristic is undoubtedly the extreme brevity of its length and the dual-layer construction at the hem. At first glance, the front suggests an intentional layering effect. This reading proves incomplete.
Open the front button closure, and a second layer emerges beneath—an additional facing, buttoned only at the hem, that fundamentally alters the jacket's silhouette and presence.
A single garment contains two distinct front facings. Worn fully buttoned or fully open, it becomes two entirely different objects.
To possess a garment whose expression shifts with the wearer's intention—conceived and realized in the 1980s. One can only marvel at Girbaud's prescience and experimental courage.
The collar stands upright in the classical manner. Its inherent sharpness tempers the jacket's deconstructed geometry, achieving an unlikely equilibrium between audacity and restraint.
Shoulder epaulettes are present. Buttoned in the traditional manner, they reference military and safari heritage while functioning primarily as design element—lending structural tension to the shoulder line and an architectural quality to the whole.
The slash pockets at either hem resist easy categorization as well. The upper opening is through-cut, the hand passing directly to the interior. The lower pocket, set within the layered facing, functions as a conventional pocket.
Pocket utility, like the jacket itself, exists in hierarchy. Such particularity in detailing reveals Girbaud's near-obsessive commitment to purposeful design.
The front closure employs both button and zip—a dual-closure approach that reinforces the complexity of the whole.
Beyond these structural concerns lies another dimension of appeal, perhaps the primary one: the material composition.
The shell is viscose 65% and cotton 35%.
Viscose—a regenerated cellulose fiber derived from wood pulp—when combined in this proportion, produces a fabric of liquid fluidity. The drape is marked by a supple, almost liquescent quality entirely foreign to conventional cotton tailoring.
As the wearer moves, the body shifts with subtle grace. Light catches the surface in delicate gradations. This fluid material, in service to such a deliberately deformed silhouette, transcends conventional garment logic.
The lining is cotton 50% and viscose 50%, with polyester batting providing warmth without weight. The monochromatic brown throughout—including the interlining—speaks to an Italian sensibility toward aesthetic coherence.
The color is a brown of considerable depth. Neither camel nor terracotta, it suggests warm earth with subtle red undertones. The characteristic subtle luster of viscose compounds this—a shade that carries both quietude and quiet allure.
Size marked 46, equivalent to approximately a Japanese medium. The proportions align well with Japanese physiology, accommodating a range of builds.
Visible wear is present—light soiling, small punctures, minor button loss—yet no damage compromises wear. The piece remains thoroughly wearable.
An 1980s Italian Marithé François Girbaud CLOSED of considerable rarity. A utility piece wherein refined design and practical function converge at an uncommon level of sophistication.
Encounters with garments so densely embodying Girbaud's experimental spirit and forward vision grow increasingly rare. This example may represent one of the last of its kind to enter circulation.
Acquisition of such pieces remains infrequent for our shop. Those seeking it would be wise not to delay.
