Armor Lux

With over 75 years of experience in designing and crafting, over 50 stores opened, 600 employees and 3 production sites. Armor Lux was founded in pre war Quimper in 1938, by 31 year old Swiss-man Walter Hubacher. Over the years the brand have specialised in various cotton crafted pieces, in particular the Breton shirt and have even gone forward to having their own range of cosmetics.

1940 saw the brands purchase of their first knitting machine, although with it being in the midst of the second World War, materials were very hard to get hold of. It wasn’t until the war ended in 1945 that the brands activity recovered from the material shortage. In 1965, the integration of a dyeing factory ensured the high quality of the clothing Armor Lux made, and also helped them to achieve complete management. It wasn’t until the seventies when Armor Lux debuted their first collection of ‘ready to wear’ clothing, as well as starting to take off within France, launching a network of stores. The brand was taken over by two men in 1992; Jean-Guy Le Floch and Michel Gueguen. The aim was to make sure that the heritage of the brand continued indefinitely in Quimper where the brand was founded.

Armor Lux have been committed to sustainable development, in 2005 the brand released its first line crafted from fair trade cotton. This later led to the brand signing a certification agreement with ECOCERT  for the manufacture and release of products made from organic cotton. Over the years the brand have grown a respectful and appreciated status in France. Meaning they have been trusted to manage the outfits of the French postmen, manufacture outfits for controllers of French railway company SNCF, and also produce uniforms for the French police officers. AFNOR certification presented the brand with an assessment certificate for their overall social responsibility.

2013 saw Armor Lux open it’s 50th store in Plaisir, showing the brand is still growing around France and still respecting its respected roots. From Paris to Versailles, Armor Lux has expanded in great masses, not just in France but worldwide. The brand is available in the UK, USA, Japan and Australia to name a few. They now also have 85 circular knitting machines instead of just one, which enables them to craft their good in large quantities to cope with high demand. It isn’t surprising that the brand have become a huge success with their crafting of classic cotton staples, especially with nautical patterns. The brand have built a reputation built on the quality of their clothing, and take extreme care when dying the garments. When producing t-shirts, the manufacturing involves spinning the S and Z yarn one against the other, causing them to lock together and block. This causes the shirt to keep its shape through washes instead of twisting and losing it’s original silhouette. An Armor Lux t-shirt could last for over 10 years and still have lots more wear left in it due to this process.

Armor Lux have not only worked independently, but have collaborated with a range of different brands from Topshop, Norse Projects and Barneys in New York. All collaborations feature the classic Breton shirt.

Armor Lux is new to Aphrodite this season and is the ideal brand to go to for casual t-shirts and sweaters. Our range from the brand offers classic short sleeved and ¾ length sleeve tees all presenting Breton style nautical patterns. Legend has it that Breton shirts were worn by Breton fishermen, their purpose was to distinguish fishermen who went overboard against the dark water. Fisherman sailors in the Merchant Navy also wore the Breton shirt. In March 1958 the French Navy decided the exact composition of the Breton style shirt: 21 white stripes and 20 indigo blue stripes, the white stripes being twice as large than the blue stripes. The 21 stripes referred to the 21 victories of Napoleon.

When incorporating Armor Lux into your wardrobe, it is quite easy to style. Why not pair one of the Sailor Striped Jersey’s with a pair of slim fit jeans and a jacket layered over the top? Or even pair with shorts and sunglasses for a Summer daytime look. Like the sound of Armor Lux? Why not treat yourself to some sustainable cotton crafted pieces? To browse our full selection of the brand visit our Armor Lux collection