From Mr Kanye West to Mr Serge Gainsbourg – the artists who’ve shaped the French brand’s style.

Although we wouldn’t like to say which of the French brands that make up our Vive Le France collection is the coolest (can the word “cool” even be reasonably defined?) – Maison Kitsuné would surely stake a claim. Founded as a record label in 2002 by Mr Gildas Loaëc and Mr Masaya Kuroki (today, they have six artists on their roster), Kitsuné has pulled off the admirable feat of being world-renowned whilst remaining somehow cult and niche – the little fox that adorns some of their clothing a badge of honour for fans of their contemporary yet timeless pieces. As you might imagine for a fashion label with music at its core, Kitsuné has always taken inspiration from the style of musicians, drawing on a rich seam of references that spans rock stars, hip-hop icons and pretty much every genre in between. And the clothes they made for us as part of Vive Le France – which you can shop below – are no different. With this in mind, we decided to task Mr Loaëc with selecting his five favourite music style icons and telling us why he likes them so much. See what who he chose, below.

“Forget John and Paul. In my opinion, George was by far the coolest Beatle. He wasn’t afraid to go for bright colors and flamboyant patterns – and he looks great in this floral chair at Hotel George V in Paris.”

“Jules always seems young and energetic with a very subtle genderless style. He could rock a see-through lace shirt as well as a suit (and looked good in yellow sports cars, too).”

“You can’t have a list of stylish musicians and leave out Serge Gainsbourg. He’s a French classic, and probably the chicest man in the world, ever.”

“To me, Mick Jagger’s sense of style is a great mix of all the things I mention above – but with a certain groove on top. He can wear bright colours, he’s timeless, and some his best looks are very androgynous.”

“Who else could pull off such a crazy hoodie? Kanye is very particular in volume and colour grading, and his keen eye for style means he is great at designing futuristic sneakers.”