Turn one of these garments inside out and you will find a second label. Not a size tag, not a care symbol. A name and a town. Atelier Lys Couture, Pantin. Le Textile, Bagnolet. The atelier of João Nuno Luz, Fânzeres. The workshops that actually cut and sewed the piece, printed where you can read them.
Almost nobody in this industry does that. Most brands treat their factories as a trade secret. This house treats them as the whole point.
Here is what makes it worth standing behind.
The house runs a Worn By series, portraits of people who actually wear the clothes. Simon Crompton of Permanent Style is one of them.
Simon Crompton of Permanent Style, from the house’s Worn By series
The craft
De Bonne Facture works the way good clothing used to be made: find the best small workshop for each garment type, and stay loyal to it. Coats, jackets and tailoring are made by Lys Couture in Pantin, on the northeast edge of Paris. Trousers are cut by Le Textile in Bagnolet. Shirts are sewn in Fânzeres, in northern Portugal, in the atelier of João Nuno Luz. Knitwear comes from Scaglione, a family knitting house in Bergamo, Italy.
The cloth gets the same attention. This season alone: boiled wool that blocks wind like a light coat, a Super 130’s merino twill from mulesing-free wool, a cotton and hemp gabardine woven in Japan, a soft bouclé yarn spun with tiny loops for texture, and a dense water-repellent wool weave built for wet pavement. Buttons are natural horn, corozo and trochus shell, responsibly sourced and traceable to origin.
None of this is marketing garnish. Choose the material honestly, name the maker, keep the design steady. That is the whole brief.
Déborah Neuberg. Photograph: Lulu Graham
The brand
Déborah Neuberg founded De Bonne Facture in Paris in 2013, after years at Hermès. The name is the French expression for “well made,” and her phrase for the project is slow menswear inspired by design, not fashion. In practice that means a permanent collection of core models, the Artist Shirt, the Balloon Trouser and the Writer’s Jacket among them, that return each season in new cloths rather than being reinvented every six months.
Its following is small and devoted. A few dozen shops worldwide carry the label, generally one good door per city. The menswear press that matters has covered it for years, and there is a forum thread thousands of posts deep where Déborah still answers customers’ questions herself. Dustin at Blackwatch tells us the medium and large in the Artist Shirt tend to sell through first every season.
If you want the story in her own words, her conversation with Jeremy Kirkland on the menswear podcast Blamo! is the best introduction there is: the years at Hermès, why she left, and what she thinks luxury actually means. Worth a listen on your next drive.
A note on fit
Everything is cut with ease, in the relaxed, high-rise silhouette the house is known for. Sizing runs large. Jackets run about two sizes bigger than the European number suggests, and shirts and knits run about one size bigger than North American sizing, so when in doubt, size down. The one exception is the Balloon Trouser, which runs snug at the waist: size up on it. Every product page carries a chart, and if you are anywhere near Edmonton, come in and we will fit you properly.
Size chart
Runs large. The Artist Shirt below is the flagship. If you wear a large in most shirts, the MM to LG here will fit like your large. Size down when in between.
How to measure: take a shirt that fits you well, button it, lay it flat, measure across the chest just under the arms and double it. Match that number to the garment chest row, remembering the cut is meant to be worn with ease.
The range
The first delivery covers eight pieces across outerwear, tailoring, shirting and knitwear:
- Bookstore Jacket in ash brown boiled wool, the work jacket that does a light coat’s job
- Artist Shirt in grey Camargue check brushed cotton, the flannel-season version of the house signature
- Artist Shirt in white cotton and hemp gabardine, woven in Japan, the white shirt for people who do not wear suits
- Writer’s Jacket in vert-de-gris Super 130’s merino, unstructured and unlined
- One Pleat Trousers in the same vert-de-gris merino, the other half of the broken suit
- Crew Neck Jumper in plum bouclé wool, knitted by Scaglione in Bergamo
- Driver’s Jacket in navy water-repellent wool, with the zip hidden behind a buttoned placket
- Balloon Trousers in the same navy cloth, the house’s signature high-rise, full-leg cut
Two more arrive in spring, and both are worth waiting for: the Grandad Coat, the long, softly tailored overcoat the house built its outerwear reputation on, and a second run of Balloon Trousers in Bark Brown and Cream. If you want either held in your size when they land, tell us now and we will put your name against them.
Why we carry it
We have sold tailored clothing in Edmonton since 1939, and the longer we do this the more we value clothes that are exactly what they claim to be. This is one of the few genuinely ethical Parisian menswear labels we have found where the claim is checkable, because the maker’s name is on the label. The fibre content reads like a farmers’ market list. There is nothing to see through because nothing is hidden.
It also fills a slot nothing else in the store fills. Our tailoring is mostly Italian, structured and sharp. This is the French counterpoint: unstructured jackets that fold into a bag without complaint, trousers that sit at the natural waist and drape, shirts you will reach for four days a week. It dresses well without dressing up.
And it is genuinely hard to find here. We are the first shop in Western Canada to carry it, and one of two in the country. If you have been reading about this label for years and quietly paying for shipping from Paris or New York, that era is over.
Come see it
The collection is in store now at 8025 102 Street NW in Edmonton, and online in the De Bonne Facture collection. We ship across Canada. If you are local, come try the fit in person, and if a trouser needs a hem, our tailors will take care of it. Book a fitting with Sterling here, or walk in Monday through Saturday.
Frequently asked
Is De Bonne Facture available in Canada?
Yes. There are two Canadian doors: Mr. Derk in Edmonton (the only stockist in Western Canada) and Lost & Found in Toronto. Worldwide the label sits in a few dozen shops, generally one good door per city. Buy in store at 8025 102 Street NW, or online in the De Bonne Facture collection. Ordering from us for Canadian delivery means it ships from within Canada, so there is no duty or brokerage bill waiting at your door the way there is when you buy from Paris, London or New York.
What is De Bonne Facture?
A Paris menswear house founded in 2013, built on slow menswear made by named European ateliers. Every garment carries a label telling you which workshop made it. Made in France menswear at the core, with shirting from Portugal and knitwear from Italy.
What does “de bonne facture” mean?
It is a French expression meaning “well made.” The name is a promise about construction, not a founder’s surname.
Who founded De Bonne Facture?
Déborah Neuberg (also written Deborah Neuberg in English), who spent years at Hermès before starting the label in Paris in 2013. She still runs it, and still answers customers’ questions personally on menswear forums. She tells the full story in her Blamo! podcast interview.
Who wears De Bonne Facture, and who writes about it?
Simon Crompton of Permanent Style is a long-time wearer and has covered the label repeatedly. The house’s own Worn By series has featured musician Bent Van Looy and other creative-industry regulars. On the press side, look for coverage in Permanent Style, on the Blamo! podcast, and in years of StyleForum discussion threads where Déborah herself answers reader questions. This is a label the menswear-press insiders wear more than they merely write about.
Where is De Bonne Facture made?
In named European ateliers. Coats, jackets and tailoring in Pantin, France. Trousers in Bagnolet, France. Shirts in Fânzeres, Portugal. Knitwear in Bergamo, Italy. The atelier’s name is on the label of every garment, which is why the label is one of the clearest examples of Paris label maker-on-label construction you will find in menswear.
Why is De Bonne Facture so expensive?
Small-batch production in French, Portuguese and Italian ateliers, cloths like Super 130’s merino and Japanese-woven cotton and hemp, and natural horn, corozo and shell buttons. Our range runs from $445 for the white Artist Shirt to $1,035 for the Driver’s Jacket, which is honest for garments at this level of make, and these are pieces that stay in the wardrobe for a decade.
What size De Bonne Facture should I buy?
Size down, with one exception. Jackets run about two sizes bigger than the European number, so go by the chest size you actually wear. Shirts and knits run about one size bigger than North American sizing. The Balloon Trouser runs snug at the waist, so size up on that one. Each product page has a chart.
How do I care for De Bonne Facture garments?
The shirts machine wash cold and hang to dry. The wool pieces want dry cleaning, and rarely: air them out between wears and steam instead. Knits are hand wash cold, dried flat, folded on a shelf. Every product page lists the specifics.
What is the difference between the Writer’s Jacket and a regular blazer?
Structure. A conventional blazer has canvas, shoulder padding and a full lining. The Writer’s Jacket has none of the three, so it wears closer to a fine cardigan and packs like a sweater, while the Super 130’s cloth keeps it dressy enough for dinner.
What is the difference between the Balloon Trouser and a regular trouser?
Rise and volume. The Balloon Trouser sits at your natural waist, well above the hip bone, then widens into a full leg that drapes rather than hangs. A conventional trouser sits low, cuts closer through the thigh, and reads more office. The Balloon runs snug at the waist (a signature of the cut), so size up on it, and expect a shape that looks best worn with the shirt tucked in.
