Clan de Banlieue, from the Dutch port city of Rotterdam, has set its sights on a more streetwear-oriented approach as it looks to expand across the rest of Europe. Founded in 2014 by Sinan Karaca, Levie Merckens and Richard Lopes Mendes, it started as a humble school project that quickly caught on. Now the brand, once inspired by the sportswear of the past, looks to the future by subtly reshaping its streetwear.

On a sunny August afternoon, deep purple banners featuring models in tracksuits and hoodies greet visitors at the entrance to Slot Zeist, a castle in the heart of the Netherlands. Mannequins in varsity jackets and sweatpants have already made their way through the chandeliered, wood-paneled rooms of this 17th-century Dutch castle. Clan de Banlieue chose this grand location to mark their departure and expansion of bold logo hoodies and t-shirts, adding a touch of luxury for Fall/Winter 2021. Their “Luxury Grime” collection draws inspiration from the style of the subculture of the 90s associated with the underground musical genre Grime.

"The collection is called Luxury Grime because we see streetwear being defined by luxury now," Richard Lopes Mendes, one of the brand's three founders, said in an interview. Started as a school project in 2014, Clan de Banlieue quickly gained a loyal local following, thanks in no small part to its links to football, such as its jerseys for local club "Sparta Rotterdam". Two years ago, the brand also began selling through sportswear giants like Footlocker and JD Sports.

Now the brand is looking to expand its customer base by diversifying its sportswear-inspired styles, such as its best-selling tracksuits. While many of the castle's opulent, baroque-style rooms on the ground floor featured contrasting pieces of the logo, others hinted at the brand's future line.

forever 22

"The different salons also define us as a brand. We are not a single type of brand, we are a brand that evolves with different types of clothing", explains Lopes Mendes. Sitting in a baroque armchair, wearing a white and green tracksuit, he appears to be the embodiment of the brand's bold yet humble approach to life and fashion. "We do what we think is best to do. We also try to be honest with ourselves, we don't do things we can't," he replies when asked why the brand has been so successful in recent years.

A room below, in a wood-floored hallway, lead designer David de Ruiter offers a glimpse of the brand's future take on its streetwear in a 150-piece SS22 collection, featuring various colourways. The brand's logo has disappeared from a white terry cloth t-shirt with fleur-de-lys motifs. Instead, the name "Banlieue" is subtly printed on a small bronze plaque on the back of the shirt. Inspired by a vintage Wrangler jacket from the designer's personal archive and a Levi's 501 jean from the 1960s, the brand's first denim pieces are jacquard with fleur-de-lis motifs, a symbol worn by French royalty.

The title of the SS22 collection, Forever 22, is a nod to the French heritage embraced by the brand. Clan de Banlieue borrowed its name from the French words for "suburb" or "ghetto", which it wants to rid of its negative connotations. "Paris has 21 banlieues. We claim the 22nd. We wanted to be the voice of the real world where different cultures come together," explains de Ruiter, who joined the label in March 2020.

The brand's transition also comes at a time when sportswear retailers are looking for more fashion items, says de Ruiter: "A lot of brands can sell a tracksuit, but it's the magic that brands need to sell something." more than a tracksuit".

Initial success and current expansion

The initial success of the brand was based on the community it built, with the help of sport and some famous players, such as Chelsea footballer Hakim Ziyech, who wore Banlieue. However, co-founder Lopes Mendes insists that despite the many connections formed while he was playing football in the past, the brand does not use those connections to advertise.

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"I had the luxury of meeting soccer players, who became great, but we never used a photo of them," he says. The brand stays close to its community, with its own football club FC Banlieue. "Football is the language we speak and the sport we love. I don't think it's our strategy to use football, it's our way of being."

His authentic and somewhat humble approach adds to the appeal of the Clan of Banlieue. In the last two years, sales of the streetwear brand have grown by up to 30%. In addition, it has more than 100 points of sale worldwide, including two of its own stores, the Dutch department store chain De Bijenkorf, JD Sports and Footlocker. The Netherlands is the most important market for the brand and now Banlieue wants to expand into Germany, Belgium and the UK with new and existing partners.

"With Footlocker, we first focused on the key markets in Europe, now we are going to expand to smaller stores. With each collection we expand, it has just started and I think we will be busy for the next two years, maybe even reaching 500 stores" Lopes Mendes said. He handles design and marketing, while the other founders, Sinan Karaca and Levie Merckens, focus on finance and logistics, respectively.

from us to you

Like other Dutch streetwear brands, Clan de Banlieue has kept prices affordable, starting at €45 for a t-shirt or €75 for a hoodie. The back of the tag inside their garments also carries a hidden message of affection: "From us to you."

"We always try to be a brand that has a fair price. We want it to be accessible to everyone," says de Ruiter. Even the silk-lined tracksuit from the SS22 collection will cost around €180, with the matching pants at €120.

Take a tour of Clan de Banlieue's FW21 showcase at Slot Zeist. Photos by FashionUnited.

Trends and collaborations appear in the previews, which the brand launches exclusively on the 22nd of each month in its own stores. Recent examples include a capsule collection with US sportswear brand Champion and the launch of form-fitting women's wear in August. With Motion 6, or M6, the brand is adding even more novelties to its usual collections in the last six weeks of the year.

M6's next projects will include a vegan leather jacket or the first sneaker that Banlieue has developed in the last three years, with a sole inspired by the shape of the streets leading to the Arc de Triomphe.

The brand draws its inspiration from France and suburbs around the world, and also keeps up with events at least twice a year, in a "banlieue" in France or another country. Last year, the brand hosted a rap battle in which it gave away tracksuits to 150 people.

"Not only are we using the Banlieue name, but we are also giving back to the community. [...] a little love to the people and places that inspire us. But we don't want to mention it explicitly, because then it seems like a marketing gimmick." and we don't want that to be the case," says David de Ruiter, who has known founder Richard Lopes Mendes since school.

"I have a history with most of the people who work with us, whether it's family, a classmate or a friend from an old soccer team," said Lopes Mendes, pointing to the castle entrance where his sister helped greet the event press. Its casual work culture is also likely the reason Clan de Banlieue estimates it has between 30 and 50 employees.

"We all have the idea that we're not just doing it for ourselves, but also to show people that it's not just Nike or Adidas," Mendes said. "It can also be done in the Netherlands and in Rotterdam."

This article was originally published on FashionUnited.UK, and translated from English to Spanish by Alicia Reyes Sarmiento.