MATHO - Roots, Breath, Experimentation

What inspired this collection?

I drew inspiration from my native land, Charente-Maritime: the waves, how they are turned into fabric, undulations, marine flows and drifting movements. I wanted to translate these organic motions through knitwear by working on curves, tensions, and areas where the garment can “breathe.” In the meantime, I collaborated with Teinture de France, a French industry partner, on technological enhancements: 3D printing, colour spraying, and sublimation. These emerging technologies contrast with the ancestral craftsmanship of knitting. We notably worked on a trompe-l’œil knit pattern using 3D printing, adding both tactile and visual dimension to the pieces. The sublimation techniques develop organic motifs inspired by sea beds and seaweed. Knitwear thus becomes a motif itself, right on the garment. I wanted to explore knitwear in a play of sensuality and body revelation, through openwork areas and floating elements that follow the body’s shape. I aimed to give it a rounded, soft, sensitive character while incorporating artisanal techniques handmade in France.

How would you define your colour palette?

The palette is deeply rooted in my territory. It came to me during a bike ride on Île de Ré at low tide. The colours were incredibly nuanced: khakis, sand and beige tones, very deep blues contrasting with more shifting, almost moving blues. There were also subtler touches, like pink reflections on pearly stones and shells. These details left a strong impression on me. The palette is therefore organic, natural, almost instinctive. It comes directly from the landscape, the light, and raw materials. For me, there is nothing more authentic than drawing from nature; it offers soft contrasts, unexpected harmonies, and an infinite richness of shades.

Which materials did you particularly enjoy working with?

In knitwear, I deeply enjoy working with noble and sensitive materials such as mohair, cashmere, and alpaca. I’m also very interested in hand-dyed wool, with colour variations directly in the yarn. These nuances create completely unique pieces, with reflections that evolve depending on light and body movement. I find that fascinating, as the garment becomes almost alive. In this collection, two strong pieces explore these techniques specifically. They are very “image-driven,” almost couture, and I work on them mostly by hand to preserve an artisanal and sensitive dimension. I also love composing with 3D printing. It allows me to play with volume, height, texture, and even light effects. This technology opens up a very free field of experimentation. What interests me most is contrast: creating dialogue between the softness and ancestral nature of knitwear and the precision and modernity of emerging technologies. This tension between craftsmanship and innovation lies at the heart of my work.

Your ideal fictional character?

My ideal character would be the figure of Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix. It’s not a novel character, but a powerful allegory: a woman standing, moving forward, guiding, embodying strength, sensuality, and determination. I love this idea of a free, almost instinctive femininity, carried by collective momentum yet deeply rooted in her body. It’s both a political and poetic figure, and I find that tension very inspiring.

The movie, the book that continues to inspire you?

Movie-wise, it’s Peau d’Âne by Jacques Demy. I am deeply moved by its visuals, its colours, its dreamlike and almost fabric-like dimension. There’s something very sensory in this movie: the materials, the dresses, the metamorphosis… It’s a fairy tale, but also a very bold, free, almost subversive work. That aesthetic freedom speaks to me deeply.

As for a book, it’s Vivre nue by Margaux Cassan. It’s a powerful, intimate text that questions the body, freedom, vulnerability, and emancipation. There’s a gentle radicality in the way it fully inhabits the body. That resonates strongly with my work, since knitwear is a garment in direct contact with the skin.

Both works share a form of freedom, aesthetic, bodily, almost political, that keeps on inspiring me.

A childhood memory that shaped your vocation/ call?

I remember spending a lot of time rummaging through my grandmother’s and my aunt’s wardrobes. I loved opening closets, touching the fabrics, studying the cuts, details, buttons, linings…

Without realising it, I was already styling. I assembled pieces, imagined silhouettes, transformed scarves into tops, tablecloths into capes.

I think that’s where it all began: in that very instinctive relationship to clothing, to transmission, to the stories garments carry. There was something very intimate, almost secret.

It was probably in those moments my fascination with fabrics was born: clothing as memory, as skin, as language.

A neighbourhood or place in Paris you particularly love?

The Gare Montparnasse, especially because it’s my magic portal back to Charente-Maritime! Otherwise, in Paris, I love the Musée Jacquemart-André.

How do you define yourself today? Your aesthetic?

The Matho aesthetic is bold, sensual, and deeply aware of the issues surrounding modesty in our society. It blends artisanal knit craftsmanship with experimentation using emerging technologies. My style is sensitive, embodied, and soft, always threaded with Matho’s signature stitch, which makes each piece instantly recognisable. In short, it’s a sensual, contemporary, and deeply modern aesthetic.

Your mantra?

Haut les corps! [Close translation: cheer up buttercup!] 

Your lucky charm?

My neon orange measuring tape… Always with me!

Your vision for 2026?

To continue exploring and developing the Matho knit stitch, experimenting with new garment forms, and affirming this stitch as a true identity signature of the brand through variations in yarns, stitches, and textures.

Your projects?

I’m delighted to join the SPHERE showroom under the auspices of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, an important step for the brand. I want to pursue every opportunity that allows Matho to evolve: competitions, residencies, collaborations and, above all, to keep growing this project with boldness and sensitivity.

You as a destination ?

The Saint-Martin port on the Île de Ré.

Pierre Gobert

This interview has been lightly edited.