French workshop specialized in Luxury Tailoring

When Magali ROUSSEL created her menswear Haute-Couture graduation collection in her 3rd year at ESMOD International, it was offbeat and quirky and was put together in a Parisian workshop that worked with CHANEL.

When the CEO of that same workshop learned that Magali ROUSSEL was going to launch her own luxury menswear brand, he offered to reinforce her talents and skills with his own.

The Sevil EROL family has worked for 40 years with big names like DIOR, CHANEL, HERMES and SONIA RYKIEL. What’s more the family business and know-how started with hand-made men’s suits. Sevil EROL and Magali ROUSSEL decided to create a company specialised in men’s tailoring, creating only suit jackets and outerwear. The company is called MDDL and has its headquarters in the northern Paris area. The goal of MDDL is to become a major player in luxury menswear.

In 2016 there are very few tailors left in France who know how to create a semi-traditional suit. Most of those who had this very specific skill have passed.

Why this lack? Given that the market for womenswear is bigger than the one for menswear, orders have slumped radically over the last 40 years. Consequently, to be more cost-efficient, the tailors have slowly shut up shop and forgotten their well-honed skills. Along with Turkey, Ukraine and Thailand, Italy is the only European country to have maintained its know-how. What’s more, Italy has also managed to develop and become a leader in the making of fabrics; cutting-edge fabrics which are admired and sought after in the fashion industry. Italy and the UK have an ongoing battle for the best fabrics for men’s suits.

This is why it was so important for a country like France to regain a coveted place in the exclusive world of tailoring.