In this seventh issue of the AM Times we are exploring what we’re calling ‘the fabric of Atelier Munro’. Creating a new kind of fabric which is not something you see, but something you feel when wearing Atelier Munro. When you get dressed in the early morning. When you perform for crowds with confidence. When you enjoy quiet moments alone reading a book, listening to a podcast, sipping a cool glass of red wine in the summer shade. It’s in everything we create for you as you create every garment yourself, weaving in those moments, discovering what personal style and empowerment really is, and experiencing that touch of a human being in the seams of a garment made specially for you.

For me personally, every garment has its own story. The cotton-cashmere knitwear polos I love for the warmer weather, are intrinsically linked to summer, to special trips to Florence, Toronto, Calgary. The lightweight loafers I created solely for travel remind me of fresh mornings on the coastline of Portugal with the family (I can really smell the mix of citrus and eucalyptus, and the salty waves). There’s my black tropical-weave suit that is just waiting for another summer soirée, perhaps the opening of ARTZUID with our good friend Jasper Krabbé. They are all connected to these moments, in the past and still to come, where it can feel like you’re really wearing the stories of these events. As if these events enriched the fabric and the garment itself, making it even more interesting than before.

But it’s not only those moments that resonate in a garment. It is also the stories of the different raw materials used to make them, the yarns, the fabric, those who made the item, our craftsmen in Italy and India. Their stories are woven in too. Into the fabric of the linens, the piqué knits, the wools we offer. They add a whole new layer, giving us the tools to express ourselves with more joy and confidence.

The fabric of Atelier Munro is also woven from the places we find ourselves. This summer, San Juan in Puerto Rico, where father and son Juan Carlos and Daniel of Euromoda advise style in paradise to Calgary where we prepare for the opening of a new AM House with our colleagues Can and Elbert.

It’s woven from our beliefs that made-to-measure is better for the planet and for you. In the individuals we choose to work with too. People like Simo Zbiri creating wine where Morocco meets the Netherlands in the South of France, and Dutch artist Gijs Frieling who created the special artwork that graces the bottle. From creating a collection with Nasrdin Dchar to reflect his current state of being, whether it be his roots in Morocco, his home in Rotterdam, the glamor of the red carpet, or a joyful family life. To our collaboration with Mark Williams and Gustavo Gimeno of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra exploring what it really means as individuals to create magic together and a refreshing goal to share orchestral music with a wider community.

It’s at moments like these, when we launch another issue that I can really enjoy all these different stories we’re knitting together. It’s all woven in your garments and we can only hope you will carry and pass on those stories, along with your own, in all the pieces made for you.

Have a great summer!

Joachim Baan
Creative Director Atelier Munro