Description
Basketball enthusiast and fashion designer Stephane Ashpool is the founder of Parisian streetwear label Pigalle.
Born in Paris, Ashpool was raised in the gritty red-light district of Pigalle, and began playing basketball within the Pain O ChoKolat collective, which became known for throwing roadblock parties. He went on to study Cultural Mediation at the Sorbonne, before co-founding creative agency Vida9 with his mother -- Doushka Langhofer, a classically-trained Belgradian dancer and choreographer -- where they produced shows for the likes of Rick Owens, Dior and Nike.
The designer launched his shop Pigalle in October 2008 with a bank loan of €50,000 EUR, and then the clothing label in June 2009, with his mother supporting him in a managerial role. There, he began defining its style by basketball influences and sports-related attire and making a name for Parisian streetwear for its highly coveted and long-running collaborations with Nike.
Opening a second store in 2012 and the first Pigalle Basketball boutique with a connected basketball court in 2014, Ashpool was nominated for the 2015 ANDAM awards and voiced ambitions to steer Pigalle away from streetwear and more towards high fashion in the future.