Sandro’s exclusive capsule with MR PORTER launches on site today.

Family is not necessarily a word one associates with successful fashion brands, but it is true of sophisticated French label Sandro, which has collaborated with MR PORTER to create a new capsule collection that launches on site today. That’s not just because Sandro was founded and is run by Ms Evelyne Chétrite and her son Mr Ilan Chétrite, the artistic director of Sandro Man. Mr Chétrite says there is a familial closeness at the heart of everything they do. “Family is really important for me,” he says. “My mother founded the company 34 years ago and everyone who works here is part of the fold. There is a real family culture to the company.”

This perhaps shows in the clothes Mr Chétrite and his team have produced for our capsule collection, which celebrates French summer style. When talking about his favourite piece – the 1970s-style rainbow rollneck, which you can shop here – Mr Chétrite does not simply talk about its appearance, but lovingly describes when he might wear it. “We thought about it being summer, but maybe in an area that’s a bit windy,” he says. “Maybe a rocky coastal landscape, somewhere in Europe. The fabric is not thick. It feels perfect for an elegant Mediterranean place. I can imagine wearing it with swim shorts after a day spent on a boat when the sun comes down. There is something I like about this idea.”

We cannot claim to be part of the Sandro family ourselves, but Mr Chétrite says he feels an unmistakable affinity towards MR PORTER, which, he says, is what makes the collaboration. “I have been following [MR PORTER] from the beginning,” he says. “We are very proud to collaborate with you guys. I love the quality of the editorial. It was very natural. We didn’t have to think about it too much. We thought about pieces we were working on that could work perfectly for MR PORTER – the colour palette and the quality. And we hope you like it.”

We do indeed, but we would say that, wouldn’t we? We have been fans of Sandro ever since it’s been making men’s clothes. It will have been in the menswear business for a decade this summer and, although this is certainly a milestone worth celebrating, Mr Chétrite is not getting ahead of himself just yet. “I’m not a celebration type of guy, but I had to celebrate the 10 years of Sandro Man because I thought it deserved it,” he says. “We are still happy doing what we do. You can be proud and remain humble. Every day when I go to work I still think I have one or two shops. I am not aware of the size of the company. I don’t want to be too conscious of it. In the beginning, I used to sell clothes in Le Marais in Paris. It’s been a long road. And here, it’s a good point to be at.”

In order to continue his success, Mr Chétrite intends to remain true to his and his mother’s values. “We don’t think too much about being different,” he says. “We just listen to our hearts and try to do cool stuff that we’d like to wear. That’s the concept behind Sandro.”

Shop the Sandro X MR PORTER collection here

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