Visiting Emmanuel Macron's tailor

In Paris, DW author Kevin Tschierse was looking for a suit – and accidentally came across French President Emmanuel Macron's suit maker.

Macron's suit maker Laurent Touboul in his Parisian boutique

What to wear to a wedding in Paris I asked myself this question when I came to the city of love in March to celebrate the special day of one of my best friends. I arrived without a suit, only with patent leather shoes in my luggage. When I arrived in Paris, a very well-dressed acquaintance gave me the tip: “Go to Macron's suitmaker.” He told me there were affordable suits for formal occasions. The Name: Jonas & Cie.

So I made my way to the traditional textile district of Paris. The Sentier district is not far from the Louvre and is nicknamed “Silicon Sentier” because many internet companies and start-ups have settled here. Smart people who dress smart. For Jonas & The location couldn't be better for getting customers. 

Emmanuel Macron wore a Jonas -&-Cie suit at the election party at the Eiffel Tower on 04/24/2022

The shop is on a deserted side street behind an inconspicuous door. There is no show room or boutique visible from the street. Did I get the address wrong? Only after I had walked past the front door a few times did I hear the hustle and bustle echoing through the open windows down to the street. On the first floor there seemed to be a lot going on.  Then I also noticed the lettering: Jonas & Cie. I found him, Macron's suit maker.

Laurent Touboul has Jonas & Cie taken over by his father who started the business in 1984

Laurent Touboul, the owner of Jonas & Cie, is already expecting me. I had made an appointment with him. He greets me friendly and we are immediately on first name terms. But he is still busy and disappears into a customer's dressing room. In the meantime, his employee offers me an espresso. I wait in the entrance area, which is lined with photos of famous people in smart tailored suits. They hang there like trophies.

France's President Emmanuel Macron has been a regular customer since 2016. “Many of our customers are ministers,” Laurent later told me. But actors, singers, moderators and other public figures would also let him dress them. The company has been offering suits at comparatively low prices since 1984.

Emmanuel Macron first joined Laurent when he was Minister of Economy under former President François Hollande. “One of his employees and a long-standing customer of mine contacted me and asked if I could dress his boss. I told him: I'd be happy to!”, Laurent reports proudly.

Clothes make the man, suits Presidents

The fact that Macron organized a suit maker that was favorable in the eyes of French society was also a matter of political calculation. Because before the presidential election in 2017, the press paid particular attention to the lifestyles of politicians. Macron's strongest opponent François Fillon, who for months was considered the favorite for the presidency, stumbled into a corruption scandal that also involved his expensive suits compared them to suits from Macron. Back then, he was buying suits from us for less than 400 euros. Fillon's suits were many times more expensive.” Macron was literally off the hook.

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Former presidents like François Mitterrand, Jacques Chirac or Giscard d'Estaing spent a lot of money on their suits. But times are changing. It would be fatal for a politician today to buy overpriced suits, says Laurent. “Many French people have difficulties paying their bills at the end of the month. When they then see that a president or a minister has or 10,000 euros on a suit, they put their hands on their heads and say, 'That's impossible! That's not reasonable. That's not decent.' You would immediately denounce it.”

Political fashion codes

Laurent reveals that Macron is very affable during fittings. He has few extra requests and is open to suggestions. But when it comes to a question of style, Laurent usually has to give in: on the choice of colour. “The president very often wears navy blue suits, with a navy blue tie and black shoes. That's a bit the code of politicians and young people who go to the enter the world of work, in banks, in the financial world, in auditing.” Navy blue is a trend colour, says Laurent. “Seven suits out of ten that we sell are navy blue.” Macron also wore a navy blue suit on the evening of the presidential election. For the newly elected president, the tailor wishes that Macron “can continue his work with boldness and success.”

DW writer Kevin Tschierse trying on his wedding suit

Me Anyway, I'm happy with my Parisian souvenir. At the wedding party, the anecdote that I was wearing a suit made by the President's tailor went down well. And even the groom wore a Jonas & Cie to the wedding ceremony in the synagogue.


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