by L'Exception, on December 1, 2022
LATER and L'Exception Paris present an exclusive collaboration for the fall-winter 2022 season: two overshirt models made entirely from recycled wool.
We asked the co-founders of the LATER brand, Benjamin Hooge and Benoît Tardif, to tell us more about their brand and their commitments as well as this new project.
Can you introduce yourself?
We are Benjamin Hooge and Benoît Tardif, co-founders of the LATER brand… launched at the end of 2019. We are in our forties, fathers and childhood friends.
Benjamin: After 18 years of exploring how businesses work, I wanted to use what I had learned to show that a sustainable model in the textile industry is possible by creating a company in line with my values and my vision of the world.
Benoît: I was a photo stylist for many years for brands, artists and artistic projects related to clothing. I always wanted to create a clothing brand that could look like me from a stylistic point of view but also with a strong ecological commitment.
The planets aligned for us one evening over a few beers in Rennes. The complementarity of our profiles, our desires of the moment and our common values were the triggers to embark on this great adventure.
How is Later a brand different from other brands?
We have decided to work only with existing materials. 100,000 tons of clothes are thrown away every year in France, it is our raw material. In terms of style, we like clothes that we will still be wearing in 10 years. The style remains classic and timeless. Very high quality pieces always feature subtle details like our signature cuff and hidden embroidery. All our fabrics are exclusive, spun and woven in France near Castres. We pay particular attention to each material, right down to our buttons, which are made of cow's milk casein, natural and biodegradable.
What does 100% recycled mean? What is the process?
We work with a spinner in the south of France who buys old clothes that are too damaged to be used as they are, he sorts them by color (no dye added to our clothes) and by composition of materials, defibers them to get a floss and make new yarn out of it. It is this 100% recycled yarn that we take 30 km away, to Castres to make our woolen sheets and cotton flannels.
Your flagship product is the overshirt, how do you explain this success?
We are fortunate to have remarkable, thick and robust fabrics like what we could find decades ago. We have worked on the cut so that it is fair and suits many body types. It's a simple, strong and timeless product... everything we love about LATER...
How did the project to collaborate with L’Exception Paris come about?
Benoît: I met Régis (founder of Exception) a few years ago. We were both taking part in an end-of-year fashion show for a Parisian fashion school. We got on well and saw each other many times at events. The collab came naturally, Régis wanted to develop this iconic piece that is the overshirt, the heart of LATER's wardrobe... in a recycled version... We are really very happy to be able to show our work to as many people as possible. L'Exception is a major player in current fashion and offers us high visibility.
What was the idea for this product? What makes it different from other Later products?
I would say that simplicity, it is called the Epure. It has few details but enough to be unique, the cut is adjusted but remains very comfortable. It can be worn as a sweater as well as a jacket depending on the season. It is an ideal product, most people (men and women) who try it, leave with...
Are there other collaborations to come?
We have also just released a collaboration with the SAINT JAMES house around 5 pieces: 1 fleece, 1 jacket and 3 sweaters (still available on our website later.eco).
And we are preparing new very beautiful collaborations but we cannot say more for the moment... stay tuned!
Discover exclusively the two overshirts from the LATER and L'Exception Paris collaboration, made from entirely recycled wool.
Derived from used garments that have been shredded and then rewoven, the use of this wool saves precious resources and extends the life of fibers already produced. When making the model, every detail was carefully thought out. The slightly fitted straight cut gives you an assumed fashion style while the topstitched chest pocket and buttoned cuffs guarantee optimal comfort.
These models are offered at the price of €225 on the L'Exception website.
We asked the co-founders of the LATER brand, Benjamin Hooge and Benoît Tardif, to tell us more about their brand and their commitments as well as this new project.
Can you introduce yourself?
We are Benjamin Hooge and Benoît Tardif, co-founders of the LATER brand… launched at the end of 2019. We are in our forties, fathers and childhood friends.
Benjamin: After 18 years of exploring how businesses work, I wanted to use what I had learned to show that a sustainable model in the textile industry is possible by creating a company in line with my values and my vision of the world.
Benoît: I was a photo stylist for many years for brands, artists and artistic projects related to clothing. I always wanted to create a clothing brand that could look like me from a stylistic point of view but also with a strong ecological commitment.
The planets aligned for us one evening over a few beers in Rennes. The complementarity of our profiles, our desires of the moment and our common values were the triggers to embark on this great adventure.
How is Later a brand different from other brands?
We have decided to work only with existing materials. 100,000 tons of clothes are thrown away every year in France, it is our raw material. In terms of style, we like clothes that we will still be wearing in 10 years. The style remains classic and timeless. Very high quality pieces always feature subtle details like our signature cuff and hidden embroidery. All our fabrics are exclusive, spun and woven in France near Castres. We pay particular attention to each material, right down to our buttons, which are made of cow's milk casein, natural and biodegradable.
What does 100% recycled mean? What is the process?
We work with a spinner in the south of France who buys old clothes that are too damaged to be used as they are, he sorts them by color (no dye added to our clothes) and by composition of materials, defibers them to get a floss and make new yarn out of it. It is this 100% recycled yarn that we take 30 km away, to Castres to make our woolen sheets and cotton flannels.
Your flagship product is the overshirt, how do you explain this success?
We are fortunate to have remarkable, thick and robust fabrics like what we could find decades ago. We have worked on the cut so that it is fair and suits many body types. It's a simple, strong and timeless product... everything we love about LATER...
How did the project to collaborate with L’Exception Paris come about?
Benoît: I met Régis (founder of Exception) a few years ago. We were both taking part in an end-of-year fashion show for a Parisian fashion school. We got on well and saw each other many times at events. The collab came naturally, Régis wanted to develop this iconic piece that is the overshirt, the heart of LATER's wardrobe... in a recycled version... We are really very happy to be able to show our work to as many people as possible. L'Exception is a major player in current fashion and offers us high visibility.
What was the idea for this product? What makes it different from other Later products?
I would say that simplicity, it is called the Epure. It has few details but enough to be unique, the cut is adjusted but remains very comfortable. It can be worn as a sweater as well as a jacket depending on the season. It is an ideal product, most people (men and women) who try it, leave with...
Are there other collaborations to come?
We have also just released a collaboration with the SAINT JAMES house around 5 pieces: 1 fleece, 1 jacket and 3 sweaters (still available on our website later.eco).
And we are preparing new very beautiful collaborations but we cannot say more for the moment... stay tuned!
Discover exclusively the two overshirts from the LATER and L'Exception Paris collaboration, made from entirely recycled wool.
Derived from used garments that have been shredded and then rewoven, the use of this wool saves precious resources and extends the life of fibers already produced. When making the model, every detail was carefully thought out. The slightly fitted straight cut gives you an assumed fashion style while the topstitched chest pocket and buttoned cuffs guarantee optimal comfort.
These models are offered at the price of €225 on the L'Exception website.
