Counter Culture

Why You Need to Know Papergirl

Features

Starting from humble beginnings in 2014 with the simple goal of merging his loves of gastronomy and fashion, James Didri’s Paperboy Paris quickly became a household name.

 

Based in the 3rd Arrondisment in Paris, James Didri's paperboy has been serving up some of the most aesthetically pleasing brunches to hungry Parisians for the best part of a decade. Not only has the Paperboy café been serving incredible sandwiches since it’s inception but they have established a substantial roster of collaborations with brands such as New Balance and Reebok, to Beams and Needles.

Didri’s latest venture 'Papergirl' takes heed of the significance of women’s footwear and the necessity for it to have it’s own space within contemporary fashion. Unisex sneaker sizing often exists an after thought with women's sneakers being at the forefront of setting trends, yet consistently being overlooked. It became apparent to Didri and his partner Jeanne Gutierez that they wanted to "Make something special for women" and Papergirl was to be the vessel for this mission.

Thus far Papergirl’s foray into women’s exclusive footwear has seen the brand release a friends and family iteration of the Clarks Wallabee, and more recently an Asics GT-2160 dressed in an, All over polka dot print (Gutierez hinted that the polka dot motif would be ever present throughout Papergirl’s projects). Didri’s venture into a dedicated women’s clothing project is symbolic of a wider trend across fashion, with womenswear being at the forefront of setting trends that rapidly bleed out into the wider market. Didri has acknowledged the importance of women’s footwear requiring its' own space, as well as the weight that it carries in driving wider trends.