One one =3, Maurice Renoma A Singular Adventure

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I dedicate this book to those who think like me that nothing is forever, that life is forever changing.

Maurice Renoma A Singular Adventure Texts by Gabriel Bauret

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The man who skated against the flow Maurice Renoma likes to tell people how he used to go ice-skating when he was young, and would usually skate backwards or in the opposite direction to everyone else – which says a lot about the man himself. In fact, you could say that everything Maurice Renoma has achieved in his life is the tale of a man who has never gone with the flow. It is not so much that he deliberately does the opposite of what others expect. It is more that he senses what’s coming and avoids it – particularly when navigating that minefield of economic and media imperatives that we now call Fashion.

Maurice Renoma, Switzerland, 1957

He seems to have a commando-like flair for scouting out unknown territory. Just look at the way he launched himself on the fashion scene without even knowing how to draw. Right from the start, he preferred to work directly with the fabric, and not just any fabric but materials and motifs not usually associated with bespoke suits. That was one of the things that brought him such ‘renown’*. Generally speaking, he refuses to be placed in any particular style or category. He sees himself as unclassifiable, a designer-craftsman who belongs to no particular time or place. And it is true that, as a man who has a finger in every pie including furniture design, Maurice Renoma is no easy character to pin down.

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His ideal would probably be a style that never goes out of style, thereby contradicting the very essence of fashion. So the last thing he wants in this book is a static portrait that makes him appear frozen in time. Hence the need for a different approach, one that tells the story of Maurice Renoma’s aspirations and unfolds like a metaphor for this man who used to skate against the flow. The story is not told in chronological order, opening instead with a flash-forward that mainly focuses on photography. There is no conventional introduction either – no potted history, no review of Renoma’s œuvre. To use a musical analogy, this is a composition in two movements: on the one hand, Renoma’s photographic work; and on the other hand, the different incarnations of the Renoma brand. The image-maker is kept separate from the clothing-maker throughout – never mind that the same man is behind it all. The first movement follows the stages of Renoma’s photographic exploration, looking at the images that charted his aesthetic development and ending with his first photo-shoots in 1993. The second and much denser movement draws on various documents to retrace the history of the brand and tell the remarkable story of a fashion designer whose career dates back to the 1960s. * For the record, the ‘Renoma’ brand name comes from a phonetic transcription (by Maurice’s Polish father) of the French word ‘renommée’, meaning ‘renown’. It was originally written ‘Renomai’ but the final ‘i’ eventually disappeared.

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Mythologies II series, 2013

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Mythologies II series, 2013

Photographs

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Asia, 2009

France, 2013

Photographs

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Mythologies II series, 2013

Arles, 2011

Photographs

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Miami, 2012

Photographs

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San Francisco, 2012

Photographs

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James Dean series, 2011

Miami, 2010

Photographs

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Le Trou series, 2009

Photographs

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Langkawi, 2009

Photographs

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Normandy, 2007

Paris, 2005

Photographs

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Jungle Ville series, 2008

Photographs

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Mythologies I series, 2005

Photographs

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Mythologies I series, 2005

Photographs

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Japan, 2004

Photographs

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Paris, 2001

Neo Fusion series, 2003

Photographs

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Normandy, 2002

Photographs

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Normandy, 1999

London, 2000

Photographs

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Normandy, 1999

Photographs

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Florence, Normandy, 1999

Photographs

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Harajuku, 1998

Heather, Paris, 1998

Photographs

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Normandy, 1997

Christmas, Alps, 1998

Photographs

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Miami, 1997

Miami, 1996

Photographs

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Paris, 1996

Normandy, 1996

Photographs

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Magali, Paris, 1997

Caroline, Normandy, 1997

Photographs

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Shanon, 1996

Normandy, 1996

Photographs

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Barbara, 1996

Barbara, Normandy, 1996

Photographs

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Miami, 1995

Paris, 1996

Photographs

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Naples, 1996

Photographs

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Marseille, 1995

Paris, 1996

Photographs

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Normandy, 1995

Malaya, 1995

Normandy, 1994

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Miami, 1995

Florence, 1995

Photographs

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Normandy, 1995

Paris, 1994

Photographs

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Gina, 1994

Malaya, 1994

Photographs

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Wendy, Normandy, 1994

Normandy, 1994

Photographs

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Normandy, 1994

Photographs

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Miami, 1994

Photographs

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Maya, Normandy, 1994

Normandy, 1995

Photographs

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Patrizia, Paris, 1995

Gina, Normandy, 1994

Photographs

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Hong Kong, 1994

Sandra, Normandy, 1994

Photographs

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One +

= 3 One Unfinished story

The year 1999 saw the publication of a book titled Renoma … Maurice: Modographe 1. The term is a compressed form of ‘mode’ (fashion) and ‘photographie’ (photography) – the English equivalent would be ‘fashionography’. The book uses words and pictures to tell the story of Renoma, the man and the brand, and ends with a collection of photographs going back to 1993.

Paris, 1993

Given the book title, you might expect that these images would say something about fashion. Etymologically speaking, after all, the ‘graph’ component in ‘modographe’ comes from the Greek meaning ‘to write’. On closer inspection, what emerges is much more subtle. Maybe it was a growing sense of disappointment with the quality of the images in his brand catalogues that drew Maurice to pick up a camera in the first place. But photography in his terms is primarily about self-expression 2. He loved the idea of photography as an art form, exploring its potential with unashamed candor while avoiding the pitfalls. He worked almost exclusively in black and white (24 x 36mm exposures) – nothing too technical, nothing liable to distract or discourage him. He never bothered to learn about art history, for instance, because that would only obstruct his own creativity.

Notes : see page 95

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His approach was uninhibited and uncluttered by preconceptions. He was interested in photography for its own sake: as a tool for capturing and recording the world around him, capturing moments of happiness that seem mostly drawn from personal experience. Renoma’s early works have an autobiographical flavor that fed off his intimate relationships with the subjects concerned. Playing around with visual effects came later, as did his use of photography to express the Renoma brand identity. But communicating through imagery was an after-thought. At the start, his photography was entirely off-the-cuff. And when he eventually did recycle some of his images for advertising purposes, it was mainly to communicate the spirit and style of the Renoma brand – product advertising came second. There is nothing in this work to suggest a fashion photographer or a commercial photographer. ‘Photography is an art and I have always tried to treat fashion as an art form – no taboos, no preconceptions.’ Photography and making clothes are two very different things; Renoma works in an area of fashion where there is no routine requirement for his photography. But there is a definite link between the two, and we find it in the man himself. Renoma’s approach to photography in 1993 was exactly the same as his approach to fashion 30 years earlier. He was self-taught, discovered everything for himself. And by ‘fashion’, we don’t just mean clothing. After that came accessories – ties, watches, eyewear, bags, luggage and, yes, even bikes – followed by furniture. Judging from the extent of Renoma’s product diversification, it would seem that he is moving away from clothing design.

Maurice, like his brother and venture partner Michel 3, is heir to a tradition of tailoring that focuses on made-to-measure clothing, and always entails listening to the client. While he has never lost sight of that tradition, ‘made-to-measure tailoring’ 4 was just the starting point for a way of working that goes far beyond tailoring itself – one inspired, dictated you could say, by the social context of the age. His work somehow reflects his generation’s rejection of bourgeois values, sharing in the aspirations of other young people growing up immediately after the Second World War. Born in 1940 into a Polish Jewish family, Maurice Renoma (not his real name) 5 belongs to that generation that was there at the start of the ‘Trente Glorieuses’ (the ‘glorious’ 30 years from 1945-1975). It was a time when everything became possible again in the wake of Nazi occupation and the devastation of Europe. Maurice and his contemporaries joined in the rebuilding of France, and they also wanted things to change. Through movies and other sources they discovered the American Dream, and this ideal spoke to the young Maurice. It chimed nicely with his negative feelings about his family background. Maurice spent his childhood in a tailoring workshop where the noise and crammed conditions soon became too much for him. ‘I grew up in a workshop-cum-apartment that smelt of fabric remnants, dust and chalk, with the constant clatter of the sewing machines in the background.’ Everything conspired to drive him outwards, into the street life of late 1950s Paris, where he proved to be a quick learner. If ‘modographe’ means writing about the social and cultural trends that dictate fashion then, yes, Maurice Renoma was a ‘modographe’. Through the medium of the clothes he designed, he wrote new pages in the fashions of his time. ‘Fashion for the young didn’t exist. Everything was grey, heavy and stuffy.’

Maurice Renoma has a distinct nose for business, coupled with a sound practical sense that makes him a demon for product rationalization. But as he points out, this is never at the expense of personal customer service or the quality of boutique manufacturing.

Renoma remembers how in the early days the parents of his young clients would often return suits to his boutique at number 129 bis Rue de la Pompe in Paris. Neither the cut nor the fabric went down well with the families of the moneyed 16th Arrondissement, and they complained bitterly about the Renoma style. None of which troubled him in the least. On the contrary, he wore his difference like a badge – or as he puts it today, ‘provocation is part of my DNA.’ He takes huge delight, for instance, in the scandal he

‘I feel that I transform more than I create.’

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caused in 1973 when he displayed painted window mannequins in his store – painted by Spanish painter Josep Puigmarti 6 but otherwise completely naked. There were howls of protest from the parents of pupils at the nearby Janson de Sailly school. His store windows were often smashed too, proving just how much local residents objected to this noisy new business in their midst. As for his idea of mixing genres – in this case art and clothing – that was unknown back then. Now it’s common practice for artists to design window displays for major department stores. But nobody before Maurice thought of mixing fashion and fine art – not just making clothes but breaking new ground in clothing culture. He would revisit this idea many years later when he commissioned several contemporary artists to rethink the blazer, which remains as always a key component in the Renoma collection 7. ‘For me, nothing is ever written in stone. I debunked the dress codes that dictated the style and texture of clothing.’ In the late 1950s, French men had a reputation for being the worst dressed in Europe. Maurice took this point to heart, and men’s clothing of course is where he started. First came suits – for many years his flagship product – later joined by the English style blazer, or what he describes as ‘the sad companion of grey flannel pants’ 8. It was all very conventional, with no obvious innovations 9. But by adding little touches of style here and there, the young Renoma would break the mould in every sense of the word. He found inspiration in everything, and changed his designs accordingly. When the wind of change blew in from across the Channel in the 1960s, Maurice picked up on the sounds of Carnaby Street 10. His first move was to change the cut of men’s jackets, making them more waisted with straight shoulders and wider lapels. The overall effect was a more fitted look that marked a sharp departure from the oversized jackets that had gone before – ‘stiff as wardrobes’ 11 is how Jacques Brunel describes them in his book on Renoma. Flared pants were another Renoma feature, as worn by the horsemen of the Camargue and American sailors. Next, he went looking for new materials and new motifs in places where few couturiers had ever thought to look before – in the world of soft furnishings, for instance, places like the BHV department store in Paris (Bazar de l’Hotel de Ville). He introduced velvets, canvas and eventually 90

linens. There was his collection of crumpled linen clothing, for instance, that got a distinctly frosty reception from the industry at its unveiling in 1977 – it was unthinkable in those days not to press clothes before a show! This may well be when he opted to distance himself from the world of fashion and fashion magazines. Meanwhile in the 1960s, Renoma made daring use of color at a time when men’s fashions were dominated by grays, blues and beiges. He also went for bold geometric designs, as seen in the works of leading Op Art exponent Victor Vasarely. Vasarely’s optical illusions inspired Renoma to reproduce them on his jacket fabrics – stripes, rectangles and floral motifs, with just a sprinkling of Escher-like impossible figures here and there. ‘Teenage rebellion started with clothing.’ Coco Chanel once said: ‘A fashion that is not seen on the streets is not fashion.’ Maurice Renoma has never claimed to be a couturier. He doesn’t much like the term ‘fashion designer’ either. But the street, particularly as the place where young people hang out, is definitely his favorite stamping ground. Renoma changed the look of the man in the street, and in those terms he did create fashion as defined by Mademoiselle Chanel. But then, it was the street and the urban milieu in general that inspired his creations in the first place. The street meant the ‘petits minets’ (literally ‘pussy cats’): rich kids, as epitomized in Jacques Dutronc’s song ‘Les Playboys’ 12. The ‘minets’ – they were the ones who wore Renoma. As the song says, one of their favorite haunts was the drugstore on the Champs Elysées. This was where they went to see and be seen, often forming little gangs as portrayed by François Armanet in his book and film of the same name La Bande du Drugstore (The Drugstore Gang) 13. ‘Teenage dandies’ is how French filmmaker and former gang member Benoît Jacquot described them in an interview with French TV magazine Telerama 14. Gang style of course varied with the gang territory: very smart around L’Etoile or La Muette in the heart of Paris; less smart in the rougher parts of town around République or La Bastille. Then there was the Golf Drouot, a nightclub in the 9th Arrondissement 91

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that became a key venue for the new generation of singers, musicians and fans known collectively as ‘Les Yéyé’ (‘the yeah-yeahs’). French journalist François Jouffa, himself a former member of the Drugstore Gang, tells the story of the Yéyé movement in his book L’Age d’Or du Yéyé 15. Maurice Renoma became a habitué of the Golf Drouot, his bright red Triumph TR3 often parked on the corner of the Rue Drouot and the Boulevard des Italiens. But when it came to opening his first boutique, the 9th Arrondissement came a poor second to the 16th – where Renoma knew he would find the kind of clients he was looking for.

His career certainly reflects an insatiable appetite for experimentation. He never works a successful design to death, and he makes a point of keeping well clear of the management and communications consultants that run today’s fashion industry. Haute couture included. He stands apart from the machinations of the fashion industry, preferring to dwell on its fringes and never lose sight of what he calls ‘one by one’: a way of working that cuts out middlemen and salesmen so he can keep a finger on the pulse of his clientele, sense how people react to his designs. It’s a bit like a musician who never wants to give up performing on stage.

So it was that the Rue de la Pompe became the cradle of a legend. Maurice Renoma was proclaimed ‘roi du costard’ (‘suit king’), famously declaring that ‘wearing a Renoma suit is a must for pulling chicks.’ Such was the impact of the legend that by the 1970s the Renoma label features in several movies. One is Un éléphant, ça trompe énormément 16, with that memorable scene where Jean Rochefort tries on a red velvet suit. Another is Comme la lune 17, where actors Jean-Pierre Marielle and Sophie Daumier have one of the funniest conversations on film about the color of a robe – which comes wrapped in Renoma packaging. The 1960s was a time of extreme dandyism, bordering on bad taste, which then gave way to the hippy influence on fashion. Whatever the trend, Maurice Renoma was eager to pursue it – though he did think the 1980s were somewhat austere compared with the fashion extravaganza of previous decades.

‘My primary senses are touch and sight – the familiarity of fabrics.’

‘Fashion is like a painting that is never finished. There is always room for improvement.’

So are materials more important to Renoma than form? Or is it the other way round? Like the French couturier 18 who said: ‘First comes form, then comes the material, creating a sense of volume, drape and suppleness. Color comes last of all.’ Since Renoma was never good at drawing (or so he says), it must have been the materials that attracted him first. Right from the start, his approach was intuitive, guided more by his senses than any formal technique. Which is how he came to find himself in India, looking for cashmere, just as the hippy influence was invading mainstream clothing. His choice of fabrics did especially catch the interest of Italian fashion maestro Nino Cerrutti, who visited Renoma’s boutique along with other designers like Yves Saint Laurent 19, Marc Bohan and Jean-Louis Scherrer – some no doubt seeking inspiration for their own designs. Renoma himself favored natural textiles, as confirmed by the official seal of approval he received from the Linen Trade Association for his 1970s collections.

Someone like Maurice Renoma is typically modest about his trade. Like many couturiers, he would readily admit that fashion is ephemeral. Nothing stays fixed. Nothing is forever. Fashion constantly challenges assumptions. Or as British designer John Galliano once put it, fashion is essentially the art of change. And no one knows that better than dandy pirate John Galliano, who turned every fashion show he did for Dior into an increasingly outrageous piece of performance art. Maurice Renoma takes a more radical view – you could almost call it a creed. ‘Fashion is movement,’ he says. ‘It’s where you live and you have to change to remain there […] Personally, I never like to hold onto one image for too long. If something works, I stop there.’

But what exactly is the nature of Renoma’s work and how does it relate to where he stands today? He plainly feels uncomfortable with the terms generally used to describe people who work in fashion. Tailor, couturier, designer, stylist – none of these descriptions really fits his case. Which is perhaps no surprise for a man who

‘I’ve missed out on a lot of things in my life because I worked in fashion.’

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has always sought to broaden his sphere of activity. There’s Maurice Renoma the self-styled art director of his first photographic shows 20. There’s Maurice Renoma the creative director behind a rolling program of exhibitions celebrating James Dean, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones and the Punk movement. The fashion link is more obvious with a subject like ‘Punk Attitude’ 21. But even a subject like James Dean does very much embody a certain eternal style and look. As for Jimi Hendrix, ‘I can just see him shopping for a velvet jacket at Number 129 bis Rue de la Pompe back in 1967 – some of his outfits were so refined that they could almost have come from Renoma.’ So says Hendrix expert Yazid Manou who adds, ‘Hendrix was a powerful rock icon who knew how to assert his freedom – freedom of dress in particular. His appearance, like his music, are part of the legend 22.’ The same could be said of Mick Jagger. Trends in music, whether rock, pop or punk, have an obvious influence on trends in fashion and vice versa. If Maurice Renoma chooses to revisit these cultural icons today, it is partly to draw attention to their timelessness – a quality that reigns supreme in his scheme of things. But it is also because he was never really aware of them at the time. Back then, all of his energies were focused on building a business – which was, as he says, a particularly challenging task for a partially colour-blind dyslexic.

of blazer-clad human bodies with animal heads 24 – Renoma’s jibe at the models who hog the limelight in contemporary fashion and advertising photography. But mainly what we see here is Renoma’s transition from photography as simple visual note-taking – to compensate for his inability to draw – to a form of image production that, in his opinion at least, is not so very far removed from sewing. Where photography is concerned, he sees himself less as a designer or artist and more as an assembler. Which in the end is what photomontage is all about. ‘I only believe in myself or fate, which is my second self.’ Maurice Renoma built a brand and a business through sheer hard work 25, spurred on by his understandable desire to break with the past. Proof of that is his unwillingness to reveal his true identity. But he also believes in good luck or, to put it another way, in the abilities that lie hidden inside himself. You could say that this is another message that he tried to get across in Mythologies I and II, albeit indirectly. Good luck is something he cultivates in the way he uses a camera, or what he charmingly refers to as ‘l’appareil à photo’ (‘the photographic device’). The modern French term ‘appareil photo’ (no article, no preposition) doesn’t quite have the same magic … ‘Photography - or the magic that happens when you are not tied to a client’s instructions.’

‘All the bits are right there. It’s just a matter of assembly.’ The exhibition space beneath the boutique was Renoma’s idea. So too was the Renoma Café Gallery, a restaurant that doubles as an exhibition venue and meeting place (not unlike what happens at the Rue de la Pompe). It’s where he exhibits his own photographic work, most notably the recent Mythologies II series. The fact that customers find some of the images upsetting doesn’t seem to bother him in the least – rather the reverse in fact 23. The series uses photomontage to put a man's head on a woman's body – disturbing symbolism for conventional folk who dislike the suggestion that every man has his feminine side and vice versa. Whatever the symbolism at work here, the images themselves build on Renoma’s previous experiments in photomontage. Another series, for instance, features pictures

When Maurice Renoma embarks on a shoot, he doesn’t always know where it will lead him. He lets himself be guided by the women in the shot – the muses who inspire what he does. But he is always nervous about approaching his subjects, which accounts for his somewhat shaky images. He plays with the possibilities that present themselves, a bit like a child who will try anything and everything to provoke surprise. Photographers who are normally tied to a client’s instructions are envious of Renoma’s freedom when they see him at work 26. Etymologically speaking, there is something of the ‘amateur’ about Maurice Renoma – meaning ‘he who loves’. He does what he pleases, just like it says in the French pop song from the 1960s 27. In effect, what he is doing is inventing a way of writing while also exploring the writing tool itself.

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Since he started out in photography in 1993, he has experimented with a succession of image production techniques: analogue to digital, photography to video. He captures images then reworks them on screen, rebuilding them and recycling them. The same photograph can be reborn in an entirely different setting, reprocessed in an entirely new shape or style. For him, there is nothing sacred about the when or where of artistic expression. Which is why he doesn’t like to be called a ‘créateur’ (designer). It also explains his recent interest in Wynwood walls 28 and New York street art in general. There are no limits in art. Sometimes the author hands all responsibility to the machine, as happens with the ever-changing images of a kaleidoscope – a technique that Renoma recently transposed to digital form and hopes to use to make patterns on clothing.

Notes 1. Renoma … Maurice: Modographe, Marval, 1999, Paris. Introductory text by Jacques Brunel. Photography by Maurice Renoma. 2. ‘It was a practice of photography born of frustration – of disappointment with the quality of the images selected for his brand catalogues.’ Jacques Brunel. 3. In 1979, Michel Renoma launched a highly successful multi-pocket jacket that proved a particular hit with travel photographers. 4. Jacques Brunel, Renoma … Maurice: Modographe, as referenced above. 5. His real family name is Krzepicki. 6. Based on an idea by Michel Renoma. 7. Blazer redesigns by 32 of these artists are displayed in the book Transgressions (Art Actuel, 2006).

Maurice Renoma started life surrounded by fabrics. Then he put some distance between himself and the world of fashion as we find it today. He took a close interest in art but without ever straying too far from his original trade. What we get from this is a complex personality, where modesty and mystery exist side by side. But we cannot say that the Maurice Renoma of today is the obvious product of just two activities. One plus one in his case does indeed equal three.

8. Jacques Brunel, Renoma … Maurice: Modographe, as referenced above. 9. As seen in the cult TV show Mad Men, which faithfully reproduces late 1960s fashion for men. Trends were much the same on both sides of the Atlantic.

20. Ombre et Lumière, Mode et Mystère (‘shadow and light, fashion and mystery’) and Acte pulsionnel (‘impulsive act’). 21. the new and

22. Jimi Hendrix expert Yazid ‘Jimi’s back’ Manou wrote much of the text for the accompanying exhibition catalogue. 23. The exhibition was staged at the Renoma Café Gallery in 2013. 24. Mythologies de Maurice Renoma, text by Pascal Lainé, Marval, 2006. 25. Within a year of opening the White House boutique on the Rue de la Pompe in Paris, Renoma opened another 60 boutiques in Europe, followed soon afterwards by outlets in Japan, South Korea and other locations in Asia. 26. Dominique Issermann, who prefers to remain anonymous. 27. Richard Anthony, 1963. 28. Outdoor mural permanent exhibit, located on the site of a former industrial area of Miami.

10. London’s Carnaby Street was the focal point of the Mod and Hippy fashion eras. 11. Translated from the French quote ‘raides comme une armoire à glace’, in Renoma… Maurice: Modographe, as referenced above. 12. Lyrics by Jacques Lanzmann, 1966. 13. The book was published by Denoël in 1999 then made into a film, which was released in 2002. See also Patrick Modiano's novel, De si braves garçons, Gallimard, Paris, 1982. 14. The interview took place in 2010. 15. L’âge d’Or du Yéyé (‘the golden age of the yeahyeahs’), Ramsay, 1983. 16. English title: An Elephant Can Be Extremely Deceptive, directed by Yves Robert, 1976. 17. Directed by Joël Séria, 1977. The title Comme la Lune is a shortened form of the popular French expression ‘con comme la lune’ (literally: ‘as dumb as the moon’). 18. The quote is from Pierre Cardin. 19. At a press conference in 1967, Yves Saint Laurent declared that he bought his jackets and pants at Renoma. YSL’s idea for his famous lady’s pants suit also came from Renoma, says Maurice.

The program ran from 2010-2012. Punk Attitude was closing event and served as the springboard for a collection that took its cue from branded footwear clothing.

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Fash â&#x20AC;&#x201D; â&#x20AC;&#x201D; ion s

Maurice Renoma at the wheel of his TR3, outside the family store at 22 rue Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth, Paris 3e, 1961

The visuals and documents reproduced in these pages are mainly drawn from an archive of French and international press publications compiled by the House of Renoma since the early 1960s. They record the brand's leading creations and chart the milestones in its history.

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Golf Drouot, 1958 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Middle: Maurice Renoma at the White House - Renoma boutique, 1963

Maurice Renoma, 1970

Mademoiselle Ă&#x201A;ge tendre magazine, 1964

White House Renoma boutique, 1963

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1964

Maurice Renoma sells a tartan miniskirt, 1964

Maurice’s father ran a clothing business and I remember that Maurice himself always went around with some of his father’s business cards. He’d say to friends: ‘If you need a suit, go and see my father on the Rue Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth.’ Maurice was always on the ball. I saw him again a few times – not often since we lived in two very different worlds, him and me. But even though life drew us apart, I still thought of him. I remember the day he opened his boutique on the Rue de la Pompe. A strategic move that, picking a spot right opposite Janson de Sailly school. I don’t suppose it had anything to do with the school’s academic appeal either. No, it was a decision entirely driven by Maurice’s innate business sense. The boutique was tiny to begin with, called ‘White House – Renoma’. Sometimes I’d meet his father there. He spoke with a central European accent so strong you could cut it with a knife (odd expression that). I imagine it must have made Maurice very happy to see his father there, in the boutique in the 16th Arrondissement, rather than in the store on the Rue Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth. I always did think Maurice would go far. He hasn’t disappointed me. PIERRE CHATONSKY Friend of Maurice Renoma

Indestructible style: Pierre Clémenti in the Renoma boutique, 1964

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Brothers Maurice and Michel Renoma at the White House - Renoma boutique, 23 October, 1963

Boutique de France, 1964

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Regimental style blazer, 1965

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ELLE, 1964

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Maurice and Michel Renoma, 1965

Blazer, 1964

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Portada telexpres, 1966

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Journal du textile, 1965

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Lénine suit in plain velvet, 1965

Le Yéyé Ville, Renoma suit, 1966

Satin shirt with military-style belt, 1967

Double-buttoned bermuda shorts, 1966

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Miniskirt with giant button, 1966

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Double-breasted tartan coat, 1966

LUI, 1966

Right: multi-pocket pure wool jacket, 1966

Half-belted coat with big fur collar, 1966

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First full-length men's duster with sheepskin collar, inspired by the film Once Upon a Time in the West, 1970

Advertisement for the Renoma winter sale, designed by Reiser, 1978

Renoma winter collection, 1967

Renoma advertisement designed by Jean-Pierre Aldebert, 1967

White House Renoma boutique, 1967

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L’Officiel du prêt-à-porter, military-style navy blue suede jacket with contrast piping trim, 1967 Fashions

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SIR, Men's International Fashion Journal, military-style double-breasted wool frock coat with high collar and metal buttons, 1967

Yves Saint Laurent, 1967

Frock coat, 1967

Military-style green suede jacket, with beige trim and silver buttons, 1967

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Salut les copains, suede blouson, 1967

Men's shirt with long, pointed collar, 1967

Maurice was just a youngster when he first started coming to the Golf Drouot in the late 1950s. He’d turn up in his TR3, him and his friends, all sons of celebrities … It was Maurice who took me to the workshop in the Rue Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth run by his father, Simon Renoma. This was before the opening of the boutique on the Rue de la Pompe. It was a very family atmosphere at the Golf Drouot. I was like a big brother to all those youngsters. A friendly ear, you could say. They loved coming to the Golf, to listen to the groups, drink a Coke and most of all escape from what was often a very strict family life. And I loved having them there. There were plenty of jobs in those days, so young people could afford to give up work for six months and try their luck in the music business. The Golf was the first place that offered them that opportunity. I must have handed out more than 6,000 music diplomas at the Golf Drouot in my time – not bad for someone who didn’t pass his Bac (school certificate). Former graduates of the club went on to become stars or heads of business. If General de Gaulle had had his way, they would all have been laboring on the railways … So here’s to you Maurice Renoma. Like all those giants of rock who sang at our Friday night talent shows, you remain one of the Golf Drouot’s biggest celebrities. HENRI LEPROux Founder of the Golf Drouot club

Linen velvet jacket with long pointed collar, 1967

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First unisex tie-collar shirt, 1968

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unisex shorts, Renoma collection, 1968

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Bonnie and Clyde collection, 1968

Le Figaro, Palypa Tergal jersey-knit suit, 1968

Sud-Ouest Mode, Les enfants terribles de Renoma, 1968

Sud-Ouest Mode, gray pants with bottle-green double-breasted blazer in Eural-Tergal grain de poudre wool, 1968 Fashions

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Salut les copains, yellow velvet brocade jacket, 1969

Bonne soirée, braided gold leather belt with square double-prong metal buckle, 1969

Salut les copains, 1969

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L’Officiel du prêt-à-porter, Black tuxedo with white satin trim, 1969

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Paris Match, Dani models matching bordeaux-color patchwork leather holdall and pants, 1970

Vogue, patchwork leather boots with landscape motif, 1970

Vogue, patchwork leather blousons with landscape motif, 1964

Vogue, Etoile suede reefer jacket and maxi coat, 1970

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Bonne soirée, Etoile suede blouson, 1970

French actress Stéphane Audran wearing leather patchwork blouson with landscape motif, 1970

Bonne soirée, patchwork leather blouson with landscape motif, 1970

Vogue, patchwork leather purse with landscape motif, 1970

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Mademoiselle Âge tendre, French singer Julien Clerc wearing a zebra print tuxedo, 1970

1970

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Patchwork python blouson with leather bell-bottom pants, 1970

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Double-breasted python coat with western-style lapel, 1970

Double-breasted suede coat with python collar and western-style lapel, 1970

Double-breasted jacket with geometric patterned pants, 1970

'ultra' LĂŠnine jacket, 1970

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Maurice and I were about the same age, barely 20, when our careers began to take off – him in clothing, me in hairdressing. I was already operating out of the Rue Mozart salon in the 16th Arrondissement when Maurice and his brother opened the Rue de la Pompe boutique in 1963. I remember that Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, founder of Publicis, used to organize lunches in honor of young ‘dunces’ like him who still made it by age 20. We were invited, Maurice and me. There were TV cameras there and Philippe Bouvard interviewed us for Le Figaro … All very impressive. We really bonded through being together there. It’s admirable what Renoma did for fashion. At a time when there was nothing else around, along comes Renoma and invents a new chic look especially for young men! Everyone loved Renoma – the street, the middle classes, great couturiers like Yves Saint-Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld (then with French fashion house Chloé). Everyone. Stéphane Audran, who was still married to Claude Chabrol at the time, used to have her men’s suits specially tailored at Renoma. Buying your clothes at Renoma was a must. And those who didn’t come to buy came to copy – such is the price of fame. JEAN-MARC MANIATIS Designer, hairdresser

Jacquard waistcoats and cardigans, 1970

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Men's Tergal voile shirt with giant point asymmetric collar, 1971

Two-tone suede jacket, with projecting epaulets, 1971

First creations in imitation suede with detachable sleeves, 1971

Shoes, 1971

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Working sketches for great coat, 1971

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The Diana unisex style, 1971

Leather and suede great coat, 1971

Les enfants terribles de Renoma for Farnel, 1971

Les enfants terribles de Renoma, velvet lambskin blouson and dress, 1971

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AS two-piece cotton costume, 1971

Les enfants terribles de Renoma, Alto blouson and Alize pants, 1971

L’Officiel du prêt-à-porter, Les enfants terribles de Renoma, Aficionado, 1971

Les enfants terribles de Renoma, Aga and Amarante, 1971

Les enfants terribles de Renoma, 1971

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Velvet jacket with airplane motifs, 1971

Jacket with airplane motifs, 1971

L'IndĂŠpendant chaussures, the Renoma team, 1971

Velvet jacket with motorbike motifs, 1968

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Men's Wear, Androgyne collection, first leather patches, 1972

Androgyne collection, 1972

Maurice and Michel Renoma, 1973

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Three-piece suit, 1972

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Yul Brynner visits the Renoma boutique, 1965

Renoma suit, 1973

Three-quarter length pants and asymmetric zipped shirt, 1972

Renoma style, 1972

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Flannelette dungarees dress, 1972

1950s style dress, 1972

Renoma: Swinging Paris Men’s fashion in mid-1960s Paris underwent a revolution like the ‘Swinging London’ of Carnaby Street. That was when Maurice Renoma set about conquering the young pop idols of the period and their fans. I still have a one-off jacket from those days – I kept it like a museum piece for posterity. It’s made from a multicolored patchwork fabric and looks like a Mondrian painting. Right from the start, Maurice was tapping into his passion for art – producing designs that still enchant us today because they have remained untouched by the passing of time. HENRY CHAPIER President of the Maison européenne de la photographie, a major center for contemporary photographic art.

Marie Claire, unlined red and white square tricot blouson, 1972

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Leather coat with wildcat collar and lining, 1973

France Soir, 1973

LUI, the Renoma brothers, 1973

Cotton Hawaii jacket with striped satin pants, 1973

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Renoma-style wedding, 1974

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Velvet tuxedo with satin collar and flared sleeves, 1974

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V-neck jacquard sweater, 1974

Vogue Hommes, 1974

Wool and cashmere jacquard sweater, 1974

Working sketches for Vasarely fabric collection, 1974

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Playboy, printed velvet blazer, 1974

DĂŠpĂŞche Mode, white blouson with contrasting leather trim, 1974

Working sketches for women's shirt, Vasarely collection, 1974

Tweed-style suit with checkered motif, 1974

First safari jacket, 1974

Working sketches for Vasarely collection fabric, 1974

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Sacs filet, 1979

L'Aurore, 1974

White House Renoma boutique, Osaka, 1974

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Drawing to copyright the sacs filet design, 1973

Renoma takes me back to the days of Salut les Copains magazine – 1968 to the late 1970s. In those days we’d take off for a photo shoot wearing three-piece suits, usually velvet corduroy, often a tie – yeah, pretty classy stuff, not like now. I remember Serge (Gainsbourg) going for fittings with Michel Renoma, with Maurice in attendance too of course. And speaking of Gainsbourg, I am pleased and proud to have worked things out with my own exhibits – also to see that Maurice has acquired a taste for such exhibitions, which give him the chance to show his own work. TONY FRANK Photographer

Article published following exhibition of Josep Puigmarti's painted but otherwise naked mannequins in Renoma store window, 1974

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L'Arche, Jean-Marc Maniatis, 1975

The Montreal Star, Parisian great coat, 1975

Two-tone imitation suede pants, 1974

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Article introducing one of the first Renoma's womenswear collections, 1966

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Double-breasted pinstripe flannel suit, 1976

Mode International, blazer with Rollerball appliquĂŠ, 1976

France Soir, Carlos Monzon and Susana GimĂŠnez wear Renoma, 1976

Linen and silk three-piece suit, 1976

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Renoma bike, 1976

Two three-piece suits: left, with non matching jacket; right, with non-matching waistcoat, 1976

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Ricardo Valdez, 1976

Renoma bike, 1976

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Checkered cap, 1976

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ELLE, Renoma fashion show introducing the first linen collection, 1978

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Boutique de France, skateboard outfit, 1978

Libre Belgique, Carlos Monzon and Rodrigo Valdez, 1976

Le Parisien, Michel Renoma and Pele, the ‘King of Football’, 1977

Advertisement, Guide d'achat du prêt-à-porter, 1977

Advertisement, Maurice Renoma composition, 1978

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Mode International, 1978

Mode International, wool turtle-neck sweater, 1978

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L'Officiel de la couture, 1979

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Double-breasted and single-breasted suits, 1980

Mode avant-garde, trench coat, 1980

L'Officiel de la couture, 1982

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Cosmopolitan, multi-pocket blouson, designed byn Michel Renoma, 1980

Double-breasted suit, 1980

The group photo on the opposite page was taken at the Golf Drouot just as it was closing down. Hadi Kalafate (‘El Toro et les Cyclones’), Eddy Mitchell, Jacques Dutronc, Monty and Vince Taylor singing ‘Le temps de l’amour’. With them is Henri Leproux. Also Françoise Hardy (not pictured here). The occasion was a musical tribute to the Golf Drouot club, seen here in course of demolition – with the ceiling about to collapse. This is 1981, and it’s a moment of joy and sadness. Joy, because it reunited these young people who were by now all famous singers. Sadness to see such a hallowed venue bite the dust. As chance would have it, most of those pictured here are wearing Renoma. JEAN-LOuIS RANCuREL Photographer

Hadi Kalafate, Eddy Mitchell, Jacques Dutronc, Monty, Henri Leproux and Vince Taylor on the set of the TV show La Nuit d'un rêveur, in the closing hours of the Golf Drouot club, late 1981

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Summer collection, 1982

Swiss muslin blouse with Claudine collar and three-quarter length lambskin sarouel pants, 1982

L'Uomo, 1982

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Political underwear collection, 1983

Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Officiel Hommes, 1983

Advertisement: the Renoma shoe for Aigle, 1983

Advertisement, the Renoma shoe for Aigle, 1983

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Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Officiel Hommes, political underwear, 1984

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L'Echo des Savanes, advertisement Renoma Sportwear, 1984

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Advertisement, Journal de l'Île de la Réunion, 1984

Renoma Golf, tartan pants with detachable pockets, designed by Michel Renoma, 1986

Tartan shorts with detachable pockets, designed by Michel Renoma, 1986

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L’Officiel Hommes, Renoma Golf pants, designed by Michel Renoma, 1985

Renoma Golf, waistcoat with multiple pockets and pants with detachable pockets, designed by Michel Renoma, 1986

Le Figaro Magazine, Renoma Barril jacket, designed by Michel Renoma, 1986

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Renoma boutique, Rue de la Pompe, Paris, 1987

Journal de l'ﾃ四e de la Rﾃｩunion, Renoma fashion show, 1985

Unique Men, the Renoma brothers, 1985

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Renoma Cathﾃｩdrale boutique, Japan, 1988

France-Antilles, Renoma boutique, 1987

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Too bad we didn’t meet in the ’seventies, Maurice and me – back when he was designing gear for the Stones, for instance. Time hasn’t caught up with Maurice. Maybe he would have liked to be a rock photographer, but he got over it. Maurice was a myth-maker who fed on rock’n’roll fashion – always going against the flow, flat out at the wheel of his Ferrari. PIERRE TERRASSON Photographer

Jazz collection, 1988

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Marine Delterme wearing Jazz collection waistcoat,1988

Linen collection, 1988

Jazz collection, 1988

Press photograph, Japan collection, 1988

First suit with three-button lapel, Jazz collection, 1988

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Nana, women's striped suit, 1989

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Working sketch for new collection, 1989

Checkmate, 1989

The Straits Times, Renoma advertisement, 1990

Leather purse, Renoma collection, 1989

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Japan collection, 1991

Danshi Sanka, 1991

Detail of three piece suit, 1991

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Le Figaro Japon, homage to Serge Gainsbourg, 1992

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Stéfanie Renoma and Frédéric Diefenthal wearing Renoma blazers, 1989

Japanese press, 1993

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Paris Match, Bleu et Jean collection, 1993

Japanese collection, 1992-1993

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Acte pulsionnel, Maurice Renoma exhibition, Les Bains Douches, Paris, 1995

Blazer Concept, 1995

Les Seins Continents, Maurice Renoma exhibition, Pons Gallery, Paris, 1995

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Ties, 1995

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The Renoma Story — ‘sixties thru the ‘seventies exhibition, Spiral Hall, Tokyo, Japan, 1997

So what is the power that drives Maurice Renoma? What is it that keeps his motors running? Boundlessly energetic, tirelessly imaginative, bubbling with ideas, sensually aware – this is a man who goes where his creativity takes him, always pushing back the boundaries and exploring all possibilities. He’s a man with a clear-sighted view of society and the world we live in, who keeps us looking elegant but also makes us think and feel through his work as an artist. His images speak to us, reach out and touch us because we see ourselves in his work. And therein lies the real humanity of Maurice Renoma. In the end, perhaps the real power behind this man, the real source of his eternal youth, is us – you, me and everyone else. All those people he has come across in his life. And he has come a long way, has our MONSIEuR Renoma! BERNARD MARKOWICz Gallery owner

Advertisement, 1998

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The Renoma Story exhibition catalogue, Tokyo, Japan, 1997

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The Renoma Story exhibition catalogue, Tokyo, Japan, 1997

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Advertisement, 1998

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Advertisement, 1998

Blazer insectes, 2011

Normandy, 1998

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Advertisement, 2000

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Exhibition installation at the Renoma Cafe Gallery, Paris, 2008

Renoma Visual Magazine Conflict catalogue, Japan, 2000

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Renoma Café Gallery, Paris, 2011

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Renoma CafĂŠ Gallery, Paris, 2011

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Normandy, 1994

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‘Fashion is what goes out of style’. So said Jean Cocteau, who died in 1963, the year the Renoma look first became fashionable. And 50 years later, never mind what Cocteau said, that look is still as stylish as ever. The children and grandchildren of the ‘minets’ of the 1960s remain faithful to the ‘Renoma label’. This is not just because we live in an age rife with nostalgia. It is because the designer himself, Maurice Renoma, has always kept pace with the spirit of the age. The spirit of his age. He is an expert judge of current trends, and he cuts his cloth accordingly. This you could say is his food for thought. Meanwhile the success of his café business gives him sustenance of a more worldly kind. Thanks to that, he has a regular venue to exhibit his own photographs, all as innovative, surprising and striking as Maurice himself. Being a man of twin passions, he defines himself as a ‘modographe’. It’s a word that deserves a place in the dictionary – like its author. JACquES PESSIS Journalist and producer

Advertisements, 2003

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Odd Faces series, 2003

Mythologies I series, 2005

Odd Faces series, 2003

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Odd Faces series, 2003

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France Soir, Advertisements, 2007

Mythologies I exhibition, Sparts Gallery, Paris 6e, 2010

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Mythologies I exhibition, Sparts Gallery, Paris 6e, 2010

Mythologies I series, 2005

Bestiaire exhibition, Mythologies I blazer, Voz Images gallery, Boulogne-Billancourt, France, 2011

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Mythologies I series, 2005

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Mythologies I series, 2005

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Transgressions series, Renoma blazer by Jean-Pierre Formica, 2006

Transgressions series, Renoma blazer by Vladimir Velickovic, 2006

Transgressions series, Renoma blazer by Henri Cueco, 2006

Transgressions series, Renoma blazer by Err贸, 2006

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Transgressions series, Renoma blazer by Peter Stampfli, 2006

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Advertisements, 2005

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Jungle Ville series, 2008

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Jungle Ville series, 2008

Moccasins, Jungle Ville, 2006

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View of Renoma CafĂŠ Gallery, 2006

Graphic concepts Maurice Renoma, 2009

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le Mag, Libération, article by éric loret, 2010

Fifty years of Maurice Renoma creations? Fifty? Surely not. There must be some mistake. I know this person – he’s ageless. Even today he still has that adolescent imagination, so disarmingly innocent in its spontaneity. That modest diffidence, coupled with the most breathtaking audacity. Fifty years in the business, and he’s still making the things he likes. No agenda. No ulterior motives. Just the simple, unselfconscious pragmatism of a man who shuns snobbery and affectation.

GéRARD FuSIL Journalist

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Les Rolling Stones, design concept by Maurice Renoma, 2010

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Jimi Hendrix, design concept by Maurice Renoma, 2011

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Marilyn Monroe, design concept by Maurice Renoma, 2012

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Marilyn seule Exhibition, design concept by Maurice Renoma, 2012

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James Dean et Marilyn Monroe, design concept by Maurice Renoma, 2011

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Visual for t-shirt collection to coincide with Punk Attitude exhibition, 2011

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The Last supper, design concept by Maurice Renoma, Punk Attitude exhibition, 2012

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A ‘Street Heart’ in love with Street Art Fashion design, photography, books, movies, cultural happenings – Maurice Renoma is nothing if not a creative all-rounder. He is a source of inspiration and revelation – someone who provides inspiration for others, not someone who rips off other people’s ideas (as is all too common today). Maurice has been a creative force across many different trends and materials. He expresses himself freely, and always with the strength of his convictions. Constantly self-questioning, he gives off an aura of purity, offers an alternative way of being. He confronts the arrogance of the world outside, but he always keeps his distance, always keeps his guard up lest his own creativity should suffer. Self-parody and spontaneity are the clothes he prefers for daily wear, soaked in a bittersweet cocktail of humor and zest for life. Please Maurice, on this blue planet of ours where the air grows ever thinner … please Maurice, draw me some lungs. KEVIN DAVID Composer

Beat Generation exhibition, design concept by Maurice Renoma, 2012

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Mythologies II exhibition, Renoma boutique basement, 2013

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Milestones 1940 — Maurice Renoma is born. His schools will be the Ecole Béranger followed by the Lycée Turgot. 1957 — First clients and first success – Maurice takes up tailoring and produces his first menswear items, working in a space set aside by his father in a corner of the family workshop. 1959 — Birth of the Renoma brand. — Maurice criss-crosses France at the wheel of his TR3, looking for customers for the suits made by his father. To build up his contacts, he also becomes a habitué of Paris’s trendiest hotspots – the Golf Drouot, the Brasserie Scossa, the Drugstore, the Bretonnière, the Rue Saint Benoît in general, all in the area between La Muette and République. 1960 — Simon Renoma sets up sons Maurice and Michel in premises alongside his own workshop, at 22 Rue Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth. — Suits in alpaca, mohair, flannel and gabardine hit the streets. 1962 — Birth of the Renoma blazer.

Michel, Maurice and their parents, 1941

1963 — The White House boutique opens on 23 October at 129 bis Rue de la Pompe, Paris. Launch of Renoma Paris line and waisted suits. Success soon follows and within just three months the boutique is a hit with celebrities, artists and people in show business. Customers include Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Jim Morrison, Keith Richards, Jacques Dutronc, Serge Gainsbourg, Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali … — Maurice meets Aldebert, Wolinski and Reiser. Working on a friendly basis, they create a range of advertising designs for Renoma. 1966 — Following a trip to India, Maurice launches a clothing range in the hippy style. This is made locally, which gives rise to quality problems.

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— The Renoma brand signs its first international franchise agreements. — Opening of the brand showroom at 113 Avenue Victor Hugo, Paris. This marks the beginning of a period of unbridled creativity, with a succession of collections featuring a positive cornucopia of fabrics: patchwork, madras, seersucker, colored silks from India, crêpe de chine, solaro, linen, linen and silk, scented fabrics, jacquard, embossed and crumpled linen/viscose/silk velvets … 1968 — Launch of a womenswear range with a notably androgynous look, exemplified by the pants suit. Michel Renoma designs the ‘Lénine’ jacket. — Michel Boisrond’s film La Leçon Particulière (private tuition) features a scene set in the Renoma boutique. 1973 — Launch of the Renoma brand in Japan with franchisee Alfa Cubic and most especially its president Mr Shibata. A joint commitment that will last 30 years and serve to establish the brand in Japan, producing more than 100 spin-offs – fashion items, accessories – made under licence. 1975 Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin are picked as the faces of the brand for publicity campaigns in Japan – being regarded as more representative of the Renoma brand image than Jacques Dutronc and Françoise Hardy. The photos are shot by David Bailey, Guy Bourdin, Dominique Issermann and Helmut Newton. — On a tour of Japan, Maurice, Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin are invited to sit on the jury of the Tokyo Music Festival. This trip marks the beginning of a friendship that will continue for more than ten years. 1976 — Jean Rochefort, the lead character in Yves Robert’s film Un Eléphant Ca Trompe Enormément (also released under the English title ‘An Elephant Can Be Extremely Deceptive’) wears a Renoma suit in several scenes – including a fitting at the Renoma boutique.

1978 — Opening of a second Paris boutique, Renoma Matignon 19 – the first concept store devoted to fashion and salon treatments for men. It includes a boutique, restaurant, hair salon, barbers’ shop, shoeshine, beauty parlour and spa. 1979 — Michel Renoma designs the multi-pocket blouson – an overnight international success. upwards of 150,000 jackets will be sold from the Renoma boutique alone. 1980 — Far East launch of Renoma’s second line ‘utility Prestige by Renoma’ or ‘uP by Renoma’ – a concept based on the recycling of military uniforms and work clothes. 1988 — Publication in Japan of Renoma Revue, Issue One: ‘A homage to Serge Gainsbourg.’ 1989 — Opening of a boutique entirely devoted to womenswear. 1992 — Maurice is appointed president of Renoma. — The Renoma brand comes to South Korea, where more than 25 franchises will be established thanks to master franchisee Edwin Kim. The brand remains very active in South Korea. 1993 — Maurice Renoma is made vice president of the Comité de Lutte Anti-Contrefaçon (committee for action against counterfeiting) – an appointment that reflects his own victories in this area. — Maurice starts to take photographs, and exhibit them. 1994 — Publication of a book of Maurice’s photographs: Ombre et Lumière, Mode et Mystère (shadow and light, fashion and mystery). 1995 — Maurice’s photographs are on show in a series of exhibitions titled Acte Pulsionnel (impulsive act) staged at Les Bains, Le queen, and Le Barfly in Paris. The exhibition also lends its name to a book of photographs.

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1996 — Launch of the ‘400a’ range, a name that reflects Maurice’s passion for photography and his fascination with so-called technical fabrics. 1997 — Maurice shows his photography at the Paris Film Festival, and is dubbed Chevalier des Arts et Lettres by the minister for Culture. — Opening of the Renoma Story exhibition in Tokyo’s Spiral Hall. On show are Maurice’s photography, plus clothing designs from the ’sixties and ’seventies. Japanese photography critic Kotaro Iizawa writes the introduction to the exhibition catalogue. — The Japanese franchise is taken over by the Itochu group. 1999 — Renoma: 40 Years of Design, an exhibition at the BoulogneBillancourt Cultural Centre. — Marval publishes Renoma … Maurice: Modographe. 2000 — The Renoma brand comes to China, Singapore and Malaysia, with the opening of 30 boutiques and 200 points of sale. 2001 Opening of the Renoma Café Gallery on the Avenue George V in Paris. The concept is ‘lieu de vie’ (living space), dedicated to eating out, photography, image and fashion.

Store: a store-within-a-store conceived by Stéfanie Renoma and Antonin, dedicated to women’s fashion. — Publication by Marval of Mythologies de Maurice Renoma, with text by Pascal Lainé. — Opening of the Transgressions exhibition: 32 contemporary artists each give their take on the mythical blazer. The exhibition is staged at the Mercedes Benz Centre in Rueil-Malmaison and at the Meyer le Bihan Gallery in Paris. All of the designs are featured in the book Transgressions (Art Actuel, 2006). 2007 — Renoma exhibits at Bergdorf Goodman in New York. 2008 — Maurice’s Mythologies goes on show at Sbaiz Spazio Arte in Italy. 2009 — Serge Gainsbourg by Tony Frank goes on show at the Renoma boutique. 2010 — Mythologies goes on show at Sparts, Rue de Seine, Paris. — Launch of The Story Of exhibition: the Rolling Stones 1964-2006, as recorded in the works of ten photographers. An exhibition with catalogue, staged at the Renoma boutique.

2005 — Opening of the Mythologies exhibition: Maurice’s photography goes on show at the Renoma boutique. Also on display is the Philippe Coudray - Renoma furniture collection – a pastiche of Louis xV and Louis xVI style, featuring Maurice Renoma photographs. Often produced as one-off pieces, this furniture is much sought-after by architects and interior designers and can be seen in fashionable interiors all over the world.

2011 — James Dean on the Road: another exhibition with catalogue, staged in association with Jean-Noël Coghe at the Renoma boutique. — Opening of Beat Generation exhibition at the Renoma Café Gallery. — Jimi Hendrix exhibition with catalogue, staged at the Renoma boutique, in association with Yazid Manou. — Maurice’s photography goes on show as part of a collective exhibition titled Les Bestiaires (the bestiaries) at the VOz’Image Gallery in Boulogne-Billancourt. — Renoma blazers exhibition Transgressions and new designs are on show in Bloomingdale stores in San Francisco and on Fifth Avenue in New York.

2006 — The Renoma Project Design boutique makes space for Komplex

2011-2012 — Photo exhibition Punk Attitude at the Renoma boutique.

2003 — The boutique in the Rue de la Pompe takes the name Renoma Project Design. — Launch of the ‘Neo Fusion’ compilation – a CD/DVD of lounge music in sound and vision.

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2012 — Opening of a new public exhibition space called Souplex in the former basement workshops of the Rue de la Pompe boutique. The inaugural show is a scenographic work titled Seule …, inspired by the life of Marilyn Monroe and marking the publication of the book by Susan Bernard. This exhibition was later restaged in 2013 at Compiègne, in the Cloître Saint-Corneille under the title Marilyn au Cloître. — Maurice Renoma exhibition at the Markowicz Fine Art Gallery in Miami, on the occasion of Art Basel Miami Beach. 2013 — Mythologies II: exhibition with catalogue at the Souplex. In this series, Maurice examines the duality of man and woman and the theme of androgyny. — Opening of 50 Years of Design: an exhibition running from 23 October to 24 January 2014, staged at the Renoma boutique and the Renoma Café Gallery. Launch of the book 1 + 1 = 3. — Opening of Maurice Renoma exhibition at the Bertrand Delacroix Gallery in New York. — Opening of exhibition as part of Art Context, the sister fair to Art Basel Miami Beach.

Acknowledgements Maurice Renoma would like to thank his family and especially his brother Michel for making this story happen. Thanks also to those dedicated professionals who pooled their respective talents to produce and create this book: Gabriel and Mathias, the entire Renoma team and Virginie and Mathilde. Last but by no means least, Maurice would like to thank the many characters that people this story. Faces known and unknown, some portrayed in detail, some loosely sketched. Men, women, animals – all those little pieces of eternity that are the stuff of this book, together weaving a unique fabric that makes this work not an end in itself but just one chapter in a continuing story. Writer Gabriel Bauret would like to thank the Renoma team for their involvement in this project. Also Mathias Schweizer and Ann'sophie Guilloux for the layout, and Flo Brutton for the English translation.

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Photographic credits

©Archives Maurice Renoma: 98, 100 (top left and bottom), 102 (toutes les photos page 102???), 105 (top and bottom left), 106, 107 (top), 108 (top left), 111 (top left, bottom left and bottom right), 112, 113 (top, bottom right), 115 (top left), 117 (bottom), 118, 120, 121 (bottom) 122 (top left), 124 (top left, bottom left), 126, 127 (top left and top right???, bottom left and bottom right), 128, 130, 131, 132, 133 (top), 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139 (top, bottom left), 140, 141, 143 (top left, right), 144, 146-147, 148, 149, 150 (top right and bottom), 151 (top and bottom right), 153, 154, 156, 157 (top right), 158 (top left, bottom), 160, 161 (toutes les photos page 161???), 162, 165, 169 (top), 172 (top), 173, 174, 175 (right), 178, 179, 184,185, 186, 187, 188, 190 (top???), 191, 192, 193, 195, 197 (bottom??? right), 198, 199, 200, 202 (top???), 203 (bottom), 205, 206, 207 (aucune photo page 207), 208, 210 (top right, bottom), 211, 212, 215, 216-217, 217, 218, 236. ©Maurice Renoma. Art direction Sauyin Choi: 222-223, 224, 225, 226-227, 230-231, 232, 234-235 ©ELLE: 105 (bottom right), 163, ©Le Figaro: 119 (top left), ©Sud-Ouest Mode: 119 (bottom left and right), ©Vogue: 122 (top right, bottom), 123, 125 (bottom), ©Marie-Claire: 143, ©France Soir: 145 (top left), 159, 201 (en haut à gauche??? Il n’y qu’une seule photo en haut page 201), ©Vogue Hommes: 149, ©Le Parisien: 164 (bottom), ©Cosmopolitan: 171 (top), ©L’Écho des savanes: 177, ©Le Figaro Magazine: 179 (en bas – ces photos sont attribuées à Renoma – voir ci-dessus), ©Figaro Japon: 189, ©Paris Match: 122 (en haut à gauche – idem pour Renoma, voir ci-dessus ), 190 (bottom), ©Le Mag, Libération: 221. Ajouter les deux points après les magazines, photographes, dans la version française ©J. Ribas: 100 (top right), ©Jean d’Hugues: 108 (bottom left), 109, 110, 114, 115 (bottom left, right), 117 (top right), 119 (top left), 126, ©éric Philippe: 141, ©M. Fujitsuka: 15, ©Reiser: 112 (top right), ©JeanPierre Aldebert: 113 (bottom left), ©Fabrice Subiros page??? (en bas), ©Jean-Louis Rancurel: page??? (en bas), ©Liberator: 177 ©Jean-Claude Deutsch: 180 (bottom left), © Ho Mouye: 180 (où??? en haut et en bas à droite???), ©Randall Mesdon 182, 184 (top left, bottom), ©Jean-Jacques Bugat: 190 (bottom), ©Rowland Kirishima: 196, 197 (top, bottom left), ©ADELAP 2013: 202 (bottom), 203 (top), 204, ©Clément Fontaine: 213, 214. Taken from Mademoiselle Âge tendre: 101 Taken from Boutique de France: 104 Taken from LUI: 111 (top right), 145 (bottom left), 184 (top right) Taken from L’Officiel du prêt à porter: 113, 121 (top right), 134 (bottom left) Taken from SIR, Men’s International: 115 (top left???) Taken from Salut les Copains: 117 (top left), 120, 121 (top left) Taken from Bonne soirée: 125 Taken from Paris Jour: 127 (top right) Taken from Les enfants terribles de Renoma: 133

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(bottom), 134 (en haut et en bas à gauche – pas toutes les photos page 134???) Taken from L’Arche: 135, 157 (top left) Taken from Men’s wear: 139 Taken from Playboy: 150 Taken from Dépêche mode: 151 (left) Taken from L’Aurore: 153 Taken from L’Arche: 157 Taken from Le Montréal Star: 157 (bottom) Taken from Mode international: 158 (en haut à gauche – pas à droite??? Voir page), 164??? Taken from Boutique de France: 164 (top left) Taken from Libre Belgique: 164 (top right) Taken from Le Guide d’achat du prêt-à-porter 164: (bottom right) Taken from L’Officiel de la couture: 167, 168 Taken from Mode Avant-Garde: 169 (bottom) Taken from L’Uomo: 172 (bottom) Taken from L’Officiel Homme: 175 (top left???), 176, 179 (top right???) Taken from Tennis techniques: 175 (bottom left???) Taken from Le Journal de l’île de la Réunion: 179 (left), 180 (top) Taken from France-Antilles: 180 (bottom right) Taken from Unique men: 180 (bottom left) Taken from Checkmate: 186 (top left???) Taken from Danshi Sanka: 188 (top right???) Taken from Renoma Visual magazine conflict 200 (bottom): 201 We would also like to thank all the photographers, illustrators and models who feature in these pages.

Library of Congress Control Number: A VENIR ISBN: 978-1-4197-1243-2 Book design : Mathias Schweizer Translation : Florence Brutton Copryright ©2013, éditions de La Martinière, an imprint of La Martinière Groupe, Paris. Distributed in 2013 by Abrams, an imprint of ABRAMS. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. Printed and bound in Italy 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Abrams books are available at special discounts when purchased in quantity for premiums and promotions as well as fundraising or educational use. Special editions can also be created to specification. For details, contact specialsales@abramsbooks.com or the address below.

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