3.Paradis Is Taking Flight Worldwide
The French Canadian fashion label won the ANDAM Awards Special Prize this year.
This fall, Parisians and visitors to the City of Light might spot menswear looks by 3.Paradis on display at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, and in the windows at Samaritaine, the iconic department store in the first arrondissement.
After winning the special prize at the ANDAM Fashion Awards this summer, it’s no wonder the French Canadian brand is having a moment in the high-fashion spotlight—one that’s been a long time coming.
Founded in 2013 and now operating in both Paris and Montreal—creative director Emeric Tchatchoua grew up in Paris and moved to Canada with his family as a teenager—the contemporary ready-to-wear brand has been steadily building a distinctive visual language while creating veritable fashion hits along the way.
Storytelling is at the heart of 3.Paradis, and a “message of freedom, hope, and universalism.” Freedom doves are a visual leitmotif, appearing on everything from jeans to blazers to baseball caps season after season.
Originally launched as a menswear line, the brand now includes some womenswear looks each season. In the collection, there are pop culture-informed prints and graphics, and bold silhouettes are balanced by luxe fabrications and a continued emphasis on wearability and comfort. Everyday wardrobe essentials like bomber jackets, wide-leg trousers, and elevated T-shirts and hoodies form the core range, while the fashion-forward runway looks feature brighter colours and more complex shapes and materials.
Designs from 3.Paradis are stocked globally at prestigious retailers like Selfridges, The Webster, and Holt Renfrew, and have been spotted on everyone from racing driver Lewis Hamilton to Bella Hadid and Gigi Hadid over the years.
The small, independent label has also been successful at landing high-profile collaborations with global and heritage brands like Rimowa, Levi’s, J.M. Weston, and New Era, releasing capsule collections and building buzz on- and offline with some regularity. This summer, a 3.Paradis, Mitchell & Ness and The NBA collab launched with a campaign featuring the American rapper Fabolous.
Unsurprisingly, Tchatchoua’s original, evolving creative vision has also been recognized by the fashion industry at large, on both sides of the pond.
The brand was one of only two Canadian labels shortlisted for the prestigious international LVMH Prize in 2017, and just four years later 3.Paradis was named Menswear Designer of the Year at the annual Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards in Toronto.
Now, after winning a special jury recognition at the 2024 ANDAM Awards this past July— chosen by industry juggernauts like François-Henri Pinault, Sidney Toledano, Anthony Vaccarello, and Emmanuelle Alt—Tchatchoua plans to use the €100,000 prize money to hire a team and better structure his business for success. “This prize holds the promise of pushing creative boundaries and unlocking new doors of inspiration,” he notes.
Tchatchoua also stresses his intention to continue “to learn, learn, and learn” as a designer. “That’s really the journey that I’m into,” he says. “I’m still a student of life, basically.”
