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A self-penned ‘Personal Shopper/Stylist/Fashion Blogger’ (he insists on the title), his daredevil style has now developed into a full-time career.
Gagoue possesses that thing which no credit card can buy and which no wardrobe can fully function without – pure confidence. At a mere 22 years old, his unapologetic love for clothes has led him to pair jelly shoes with red socks and a fur coat, match technicolour leggings with a lampshade-like Moroccan hat and strut the streets of Casablanca wearing Mickey Mouse pyjama bottoms. When he places a plastic sieve on his head and strikes a pose for the camera wearing yellow brogues, plaid trousers and antique rings – as seen in a recent photo on his Facebook page – you’re almost (almost) tempted to follow suit
‘When I was in high school, I had a brief career as a model. And that’s how I got my first glimpse of “the fashion world,”’ Gagoue says, explaining his recent trajectory from wide-eyed model to trend-dictator. Scroll through his blog (louisphilippedegagoue.blogspot.com) and it’s easy to see that modelling is second nature to Gagoue, who stars in most of his self-styled shoots. His electric looks are matched by an innate sense of what looks good, and how far he can push the fashion boundaries.
However, although an instant hit with clients, Gagoue wasn’t content with being a clothes horse for other designers however. The blog is the epicentre of all of Gagoue’s work. He works diligently on it. Rather than posting a simple ‘what I’m wearing today’ photo like the majority of style bloggers, Gagoue takes his ‘selfies’ to an epic scale. ‘Two years ago I opened my first blog but it took me a lot of time to work on it so I let it down. Then one day I decided to open a new one and put my energy in it, share my looks and my personal vision of fashion.’ It worked. The blog has helped Gagoue find his identity as a stylist, lifting him from bedroom mannequin to features in Vogue Italia and Elle Belgique.
His ambition and attention to detail can be seen in every image. He picks his photographer carefully – Emna Jaïdane, Yasmine Hatimi, Raphaël Liais du Rocher and Tara Koffi are a few of the names he has collaborated with – and he says ‘soul’ and ‘originality’ are the crucial criteria for choosing locations. Each shoot has a keen sense of storytelling, something that is also key to Gagoue’s style philosophy. Currently based in Casablanca, he chooses to shoot between Tunisia and Morocco, picking weird and wonderful settings specifically to match his sartorial mood.
This sense of style, which he describes as ‘unique, bold, eccentric, eclectic and colourful’, has now led to steady work as a stylist and personal shopper. ‘Initially it began in a small circle with close friends. I shop a lot for myself so every time I went out, I unconsciously found something for one of them.
That trend went on for a while,’ he remembers, explaining how his friends eventually insisted he accompanied them every time they shop. ‘One day, I can’t recall exactly when, I realised I could make money doing this. Considering that it’s something I love doing for free anyway, I thought “why not”. What I like about my job is finding a new style for people.’
Gagoue often finds this ‘new style’ by swapping big brand names for vintage items. ‘My favourite places to shop in Tunisia are the vintage markets,’ he says. ‘What fascinates me about vintage clothes is that they are unique. They have a story and they make me travel back in time.’ Wearing an oversize green pastel shirt during his Brownbook interview, the stylist laughs about the current state of menswear and says it still leaves a lot to be desired. ‘Menswear trends have been a joke since my first year in Tunis in 2008. The trends for spring/summer are always Hawaiian floral print swimwear, rubber sandals and a T-shirt. In fall/winter it’s a fake ASICS whizzer, blue jeans, a black T-shirt and a coat.’
While some men’s wardrobes may be due a Gagoue makeover, he says it’s the older generation who are paving the sartorial way. ‘In general, I prefer the street style of older people – they are more chic and elegant.’ He also looks to the past when it comes to wardrobe inspiration. ‘I read a lot of magazines, but not only magazines. I read books on the history of civilisation and people. I listen to a lot of disco, discover historical characters and look at photo albums of my parents. I create characters and play characters.’
Eclectic is a simple word to describe Gagoue’s kaleidoscope of influences. But if there’s one theme that unites his style sensibility, which runs the gamut from ‘electric jungle’ to ‘dapper gentleman’, it’s his inexhaustible enthusiasm for the sheer pleasure of dressing up. When asked if there’s one item in his wardrobe that he couldn’t live without, he refuses to choose, in typical Gagoue style. ‘From my point of view all of my clothes are equally precious because they each have a different story. I only buy them when I get a big crush.’
[split]
A self-penned ‘Personal Shopper/Stylist/Fashion Blogger’ (he insists on the title), his daredevil style has now developed into a full-time career.
Gagoue possesses that thing which no credit card can buy and which no wardrobe can fully function without – pure confidence. At a mere 22 years old, his unapologetic love for clothes has led him to pair jelly shoes with red socks and a fur coat, match technicolour leggings with a lampshade-like Moroccan hat and strut the streets of Casablanca wearing Mickey Mouse pyjama bottoms. When he places a plastic sieve on his head and strikes a pose for the camera wearing yellow brogues, plaid trousers and antique rings – as seen in a recent photo on his Facebook page – you’re almost (almost) tempted to follow suit
‘When I was in high school, I had a brief career as a model. And that’s how I got my first glimpse of “the fashion world,”’ Gagoue says, explaining his recent trajectory from wide-eyed model to trend-dictator. Scroll through his blog (louisphilippedegagoue.blogspot.com) and it’s easy to see that modelling is second nature to Gagoue, who stars in most of his self-styled shoots. His electric looks are matched by an innate sense of what looks good, and how far he can push the fashion boundaries.
However, although an instant hit with clients, Gagoue wasn’t content with being a clothes horse for other designers however. The blog is the epicentre of all of Gagoue’s work. He works diligently on it. Rather than posting a simple ‘what I’m wearing today’ photo like the majority of style bloggers, Gagoue takes his ‘selfies’ to an epic scale. ‘Two years ago I opened my first blog but it took me a lot of time to work on it so I let it down. Then one day I decided to open a new one and put my energy in it, share my looks and my personal vision of fashion.’ It worked. The blog has helped Gagoue find his identity as a stylist, lifting him from bedroom mannequin to features in Vogue Italia and Elle Belgique.
His ambition and attention to detail can be seen in every image. He picks his photographer carefully – Emna Jaïdane, Yasmine Hatimi, Raphaël Liais du Rocher and Tara Koffi are a few of the names he has collaborated with – and he says ‘soul’ and ‘originality’ are the crucial criteria for choosing locations. Each shoot has a keen sense of storytelling, something that is also key to Gagoue’s style philosophy. Currently based in Casablanca, he chooses to shoot between Tunisia and Morocco, picking weird and wonderful settings specifically to match his sartorial mood.
This sense of style, which he describes as ‘unique, bold, eccentric, eclectic and colourful’, has now led to steady work as a stylist and personal shopper. ‘Initially it began in a small circle with close friends. I shop a lot for myself so every time I went out, I unconsciously found something for one of them.
That trend went on for a while,’ he remembers, explaining how his friends eventually insisted he accompanied them every time they shop. ‘One day, I can’t recall exactly when, I realised I could make money doing this. Considering that it’s something I love doing for free anyway, I thought “why not”. What I like about my job is finding a new style for people.’
Gagoue often finds this ‘new style’ by swapping big brand names for vintage items. ‘My favourite places to shop in Tunisia are the vintage markets,’ he says. ‘What fascinates me about vintage clothes is that they are unique. They have a story and they make me travel back in time.’ Wearing an oversize green pastel shirt during his Brownbook interview, the stylist laughs about the current state of menswear and says it still leaves a lot to be desired. ‘Menswear trends have been a joke since my first year in Tunis in 2008. The trends for spring/summer are always Hawaiian floral print swimwear, rubber sandals and a T-shirt. In fall/winter it’s a fake ASICS whizzer, blue jeans, a black T-shirt and a coat.’
While some men’s wardrobes may be due a Gagoue makeover, he says it’s the older generation who are paving the sartorial way. ‘In general, I prefer the street style of older people – they are more chic and elegant.’ He also looks to the past when it comes to wardrobe inspiration. ‘I read a lot of magazines, but not only magazines. I read books on the history of civilisation and people. I listen to a lot of disco, discover historical characters and look at photo albums of my parents. I create characters and play characters.’
Eclectic is a simple word to describe Gagoue’s kaleidoscope of influences. But if there’s one theme that unites his style sensibility, which runs the gamut from ‘electric jungle’ to ‘dapper gentleman’, it’s his inexhaustible enthusiasm for the sheer pleasure of dressing up. When asked if there’s one item in his wardrobe that he couldn’t live without, he refuses to choose, in typical Gagoue style. ‘From my point of view all of my clothes are equally precious because they each have a different story. I only buy them when I get a big crush.’