How Good Sense (and Ryan Reynolds) Turned Officine Générale's Suede Bomber Into a Smash Hit
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When it comes to casual clothing, designer Pierre Maheo knows a good thing when he sees it. But that doesn’t mean he won’t change it. The founder and designer of Paris-based Officine Générale has built a solid reputation for his brand, both through his brick-and-mortar stores in Paris and London and online. That’s because Maheo and his team pride themselves on making interesting and accessible clothes with a focus on both innovation and consistency. Not cheap, for sure, but not sticker-shock-inducing either, Officine Générale means well-made, versatile clothing with attitude.
Much of Maheo’s work as a designer means constantly tinkering with the details, and so even his best sellers are constantly evolving. “It’s like an obsession,” he says. “You take a jacket, and you change it to a three-button because you like the cut of it, or maybe you widen the lapels a little. You have to keep changing to keep things interesting, but it always has to be wearable.”
“It’s much more difficult to make a good-quality, simple, and wearable piece that works,” he explains. “It’s far easier to design a hoodie that’s basically a big square of jersey with a hood and sleeves attached. Anyone can do that. But refining the functionality, to make something a little better by looking closely at the details—that’s really the balance we look for every season.”
The Rod jacket in Olive suede, here, is one of Maheo’s repeat stars and has become a hot seller in multiple markets. Clean lines and a fine Italian suede make it the perfect piece of stand-alone outerwear or an easy layer under an overcoat. And olive green? “Olive is an important color for me,” says Maheo, “but it was definitely not a common color for a suede jacket when we first did it. I think it offers a slightly unexpected point of view. When all you see are black or brown leather jackets in a store, it really jumps out.”
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And in all fairness, Ryan Reynolds helped too. The A-list actor with a taste for a focused wardrobe of simple wearable statement pieces —and olive green—is something of an inspiration for men who like their daily fashion writ with a lower-case "f." Reynolds picked up the Rod jacket’s precursor, a trucker style known as the Liam, when Maheo tested it out—also in 0live suede—in an exclusive capsule collection for Barneys in New York in 2016.
A paparazzi snap of Reynolds in the Liam went viral, and newly minted Officine fans besieged the brand. So Maheo introduced it into the main line. Then, in 2018 he added the Rod, in the same olive suede but in a more elevated style with a zipper closure. “And then Ryan bought the Rod as well,” says Maheo. “He was wearing it quite a lot when he was promoting Deadpool 2 in Tokyo. You know as soon as he wears something, it creates a lot of demand.”
The Rod jacket’s details are simple but critical to Maheo. “You know we could have put a one-way zip in it, but a two-way zip means you can unzip it from the bottom a little for when you’re sitting in a car or on the subway to make it more comfortable,” he says. “We try to put our heads in the minds of our customers so we can provide them with clothes that feel good the moment they put them on.”
The Reynolds effect certainly gave the company a sizable boost in the U.S. But it’s also arguably Maheo’s approach—less bullshit, better clothes—that is finding a growing and appreciative market in America with a certain kind of guy who also knows a good thing when he sees one.
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