Jean Touitou Titles Segment of A.P.C. 2015 Fall/Winter Collection "Last Ni**as in Paris"

Jean Touitou, founder of A.P.C., has named a segment of the brand’s 2015 fall/winter collection as “Last Ni**as in Paris.” The name derives from two origins: firstly as reference to JAY Z and Kanye West’s 2011 hit single “Ni**as in Paris” and secondly from the 1972 Franco-Italian romance film Last Tango in Paris. The latest line features Timberland shoes and sweatpants, which are both iconic hip hop apparel, as well as a camel hair color coat worn bare, an aesthetic associated with the mentioned French film. Touitou explains his choices in a live presentation of the collection:

I call this one look “Last N****s in Paris.” Why? Because it’s the sweet spot when the hood meets Bertolucci’s movie Last Tango in Paris. So that’s ‘N****s in Paris’ and Last N****s in Paris. [Nervous laughter from audience.] Oh, I am glad some people laughed with me. Yes, I mean, it’s nice to play with the strong signifiers. The Timberland here is a very strong ghetto signifier. In the ghetto, it is all the Timberlands, all the big chain. Not at the same time—never; it’s bad taste. So we designed Timberlands with Timberland.

Following up his sentiments, Touitou told Style.com about having consent with friend and collaborator Kanye West before making the name official.

I am friends with Kanye, and he and I presented a joint collection at the same place, one year ago, and that this thing is only a homage to our friendship. As a matter of fact, when I came up with this idea, I wrote to him, with the picture of the look and the name I was giving to it, and he wrote back immediately saying something like, ‘I love this vibe.’