Here's the Q&A between a T-shirt journalist and Théophile. We thought it might interest a few curious web surfers :)
Interview conducted on April 8, 2019.

1. Where are you from?

We've lived in different parts of France together, and in 2017 we settled in Lyon.

2. Making T-shirts is a bit ordinary, but what do you bring to the table that's new to you?

We bring a relaxed but conscious vision of fashion. A cool, timeless, French style, and at the same time, quality, short-circuit manufacturing, to improve the lifespan of clothes and reduce their ecological impact. This seems important to us today, as we can feel that people want to change their consumption habits without radically overturning their lifestyle overnight. That's what we want to offer on our own small scale.

3. What's your credo?

We like to remind people of the Frenchy side of our creations. Showing people where we come from and exporting a bit of French romanticism. All sprinkled with a touch of humor to get the mayonnaise going!

Our thing is "suggested". We prefer things that aren't too flashy. We just want the clothes to look good.

4. I imagine it's not easy to get started. Where do you sell?

We began by selling only on our website www.maisonft.com. After 3 years of existence, we have our own showroom in Lyon and are sold in 48 concept stores and traditional stores. Most of them are in France, but we are also present in Switzerland and Holland. And we take part in several public events throughout the year, such as Mif Expo and Printemps des Docks, to meet our fans, our groupies... and our detractors too!

5. When you buy a T-shirt, you don't pay much attention to the material, do you?

It seems to me that for a T-shirt, as for any other purchase, the overall impression should come first. By touch, weight and smell, we already have a certain amount of information, and this information helps us to appreciate the garment. Of course, it's harder on the internet!

We buy a garment primarily for its style, but overall quality is also very important. That's why the choice of material is so important.

6. What is good cotton? Why would you say yours is better?

To put it simply, a good cotton is one whose fiber is long, which makes it supple and resistant. This is the basis for making garments that will last over time without warping or twisting. We could also add that good cotton is cotton grown in good working conditions, because today we have a duty to check the way our products are made. Our cotton is not the best. The best is found in South America, it seems, but it's produced very little and is unaffordable. Ours isn't the best, but it's of excellent quality, and it's been woven under good working conditions that respect human rights. And that's not bad at all :)

7. Where does the word T-shirt come from?

Foucaud can explain the story better than I can. But in a nutshell: the term T-shirt arrived in France in 1944. It was the American soldiers who democratized it on arrival.

Literally translated, a T-shirt is a T-shaped undershirt. The T being symbolized by the bust of the shirt and the two small sleeves at the top of the bust. That's what the GIs (at the time) called the white jersey under their uniform. And it's stuck ever since.

So if it hadn't been for Uncle Sam, we'd probably have kept the "undershirt" for a while...