ADF

The World of ARNODEFRANCE: An Interview by 713 Magazine

In 2016, Arno de France began shaping what would become ARNODEFRANCE. Not from a studio or showroom, but from instinct, resistance, and the feeling that nobody was making clothes ugly enough. Raised in the South of France, in places like Cannes and Monaco, where polished leisurewear and pastel collars dominated, Arno’s vision was the inverse. Worn-in textures, survivalist silhouettes, and uniforms built for quiet rebellion.

The brand began with graphic T-shirts made for himself. They caught attention by accident. That moment triggered a shift. What started as personal experimentation grew into a fully formed universe. Raw, industrial, emotionally charged. ARNODEFRANCE was born not from trend, but from tension. Today, it stands as a distinct voice in a crowded space, known for its ghostlike garments, distressed cottons, and designs that feel less like clothes and more like atmospheres.

At its core, ARNODEFRANCE is about mood over marketing, survival over spectacle. Each piece emerges from a duality. Soft but brutal. Worn but sharp. Minimal but deeply emotional. The brand remains intentionally rare, operating outside of traditional fashion cycles, refusing to dilute its message for mass appeal. The result is something cult-like, carried by those who see clothing as quiet armor.

For Arno, ARNODEFRANCE is not just a brand. It is a world. A way of dressing that reflects a state of mind. A way of surviving without shouting. Below, he speaks with 713 Magazine about the beginnings, the process, and the ongoing evolution of his universe.

Let’s start with the beginning. What were the earliest visual or emotional triggers that led you to start creating? Was there a specific moment you realized you wanted to build your own world?

I always liked fashion, but I was too broke to buy what I wanted. From very young, I was already customizing, cutting, painting, sewing clothes. I also drew a lot, so it was natural to put ideas into sketches. At first I did it only for myself, making graphic T-shirts. They found success by accident. I was not ready, but it made me think maybe I could do something bigger. That’s when I thought, why not do this properly, my way, no rules. Worst case, I just have a closet full of T-shirts for me.

ARNODEFRANCE carries a very specific mood. How would you personally describe the atmosphere you’re creating through your garments and visual language?

With ARNODEFRANCE, I try to make a world where survival meets soulful aesthetics (peace of mind). Industrial streetwear that feels raw, worn, almost dirty, but also a little comforting. Clothes that look like they have lived and carry a story. For a lost generation, finding identity in pieces that are rebellious but also cozy. Like armor, but you want to wear it every day. Sometimes I feel I’m not making clothes, I’m making ghosts.

There’s a deep sense of uniform, anonymity, and silhouette in your work. Is this rooted in a personal philosophy or a cultural commentary?

Anonymity kills ego. Silhouette is stronger than the face.

What role does texture play in your design process? Your fabrics seem to evoke feeling before function. How do you approach sourcing and treatment?

Texture comes first. Before function, I want fabric to give feeling – heavy, cozy, dirty, worn. I look for materials that already feel alive, and then I push them further with washing, fading, waxing, distressing. Every piece has atmosphere before it even works as a garment. This year almost everything is cotton. Even things that look like leather are cotton treated to look like that. I wanted something organic, but the collection is still complete and versatile.

Where does the line blur between clothing and character for you? Are your collections designed with personas or environments in mind?

For me it’s the universe. As I get older, I see the brand dna shaping itself naturally. I think more about environments than people. ADF comes from worlds – industrial landscapes, the wild, underground scenes, subcultures, rebellion. Clothes are tools to survive in those spaces, and the person wearing them becomes a character shaped by the environment.

How much of ARNODEFRANCE is autobiographical? Do your designs reflect versions of yourself at different stages of your life?

Maybe more in the past, but today ADF is more about a state of mind. Being rebellious in spirit, not always in action. Emotionally yes. The phrase “Silence taught me violence” is close to the ideology and it can be read in many ways. Not every piece is about me, but my perspective is everywhere – the textures, the survivalist shapes, the uniforms. They come from things I lived and felt. But I want ADF to exist beyond me, for others to put themselves in it.

Tell us about the process. What does a typical design cycle look like, from ideation to execution? Are you more intuitive or methodical? 

It is both. The first spark is always instinct – a mood, a texture, a shape that won’t leave my head. Then it becomes methodical: sourcing, prototyping, treatments testing, fitting. It’s back and forth between instinct and discipline. I need both to make ADF feel raw and precise. Traveling and seeing creativity in the world also helps. Every collection becomes a way to question myself and evolve.

The color palette of ARNODEFRANCE is both muted and aggressive. How do you approach color, and what emotions are you hoping to communicate through it?

Color is never decoration. It is atmosphere. Muted tones feel worn, aged, carrying memory. But I push them with treatment – dirty washes, dusty fades, different shades of raw black – so they stay alive, intense. There is tension. Calm surfaces but undercurrent of violence. The aggression comes from how we treat the color, not the color itself.

There’s a growing community around your work. What do you think draws people into the world you’re building?

I guess people resonate themselves in the honesty – in silence, in rebellion, in the textures that look lived in and triggered memories. We always choose to stay rare. It is not easy. We are still small – you can count our team on one hand. But that’s okay. We don’t need to be everywhere, every showroom, every retail space, every celebrity. We chose a different way. We are still small. We are still here. Still building. Still growing. And that’s the point. Big brands scream. We whisper… and somehow people hear it.

What does success look like to you? Is it about growth, recognition, legacy, or something else entirely?

I don’t think too much about success. For me, it is being able to create at my own pace, without pressure to fit a system that doesn’t feel natural. Recognition is nice, feeds ego and drive motivation for a moment, but it fades. What matters is that ADF stays alive in the next ten years, rare and authentic, not diluted. If I can keep doing what I love, at my own rhythm, that is enough.

Beyond fashion, what else shapes your creative worldview? Are there books, films, architecture, or cultural moments that heavily influence you?

Kyoto is always a place I go to recharge. The mix of tradition and modernity speaks to me. But mostly, it is quiet, everyday moments that shape me. I have a very small circle, almost no friends. Inspiration comes from simple things: my wife, our dog, walking in nature, eating well, spending time with family. “Perdre son temps, c’est la plus merveilleuse façon de le gagner,” a phrase from Bernard Montangero that stays with me.

When I was younger, I tried the opposite – parties, socializing, trying to be everywhere. I learned it drains you more than it fuels. Now I exist in a gray zone between engagement and detachment. I think that is part of ADF. It is outsider energy. It reminds me of the “new punk” in early 2000s – not loud rebellion, but quiet resistance. Existing beyond the system. It is freedom in observation, survival, and constant exploration in duality.’

What’s something you’ve never shared about the brand or your story, but have always wanted to? This could be something quiet, foundational, or even painful.

Maybe how much sacrifice is behind ADF. From outside it can look effortless, but it is built with very little – no investors, tiny team, lots of struggle. Every collection is a fight. I love the creative side – drawing, sampling, processing – but in business and marketing I am terrible. Without my wife, ARNODEFRANCE wouldn’t exist.

How do you protect the purity of your vision as the brand grows? Do you struggle with external pressures or expectations?

No. I never accept something just for exposure or a “better future”. We say no a lot. Instinct tells me not to force. Purity comes from saying no. I refuse to bend to trends or pressure to grow fast. ADF is about staying rare, staying true. That is the only way to survive long-term.

Where is ARNODEFRANCE headed? What does the future hold? More collections, a new medium, something unexpected?

I don’t think about more, I think about deeper. The future stays unpredictable.

Lastly, what do you want people to feel when they wear ARNODEFRANCE? Is it empowerment, isolation, clarity, rebellion or is it something entirely different?

I want people to feel rebellion. Quiet, inner rebellion. Not screaming for attention, but standing strong in silence. And still fucking cool, for a lost generation.

Like you go to buy bread or a street fight. Same outfit.

Explore AUTOMNE/HIVER, the latest collection from ARNODEFRANCE, available now at arnodefrance.com. A raw, survivalist vision built through washed cottons, ghosted silhouettes, and quiet rebellion.