Johann

My name is Johann, I’m 40, and I’ve been living in Paris for 18 years. I’m great at imitating gorillas and making my cat talk, which makes my wife laugh. I’m passionate about watchmaking and Cuban cigars, and I get around by motorbike. I appreciate fine things and materials that develop a patina over time. I believe our appreciation of things depends on the people we share them with, and that our clothes should reflect who we are and tell the story of what we’ve lived through. You need to feel comfortable in them, otherwise it’s just a fancy dress costume... I’m also very strict about nutrition; I follow a paleo diet, meaning no grains and no dairy, just whole, fresh foods. I’m convinced our physical health is 80% what’s on our plate and 20% exercise and sleep quality.

Oh yes, in my view, we are defined by our habits: the worst of masters, the best of servants.

I work in film and television fiction. I wear two hats: the first is assistant director, meaning I organise shoots and coordinate teams (suit, camera, sound, special effects, animal handlers, stunt performers...) while making sure the director’s vision fits within the producer’s budget. I’m lucky enough to work on varied projects: period pieces, adventures, action films... (Chefs for France 2, Belle and Sébastien 3, Black Room, The Last Mistress (Catherine Breillat), the French scenes of The Da Vinci Code...). The second is screenwriter and director. I’m currently developing a dystopian series co-written with Mathieu Noel (Europe 1), produced by Bruno Solo.

I lost my way, fell flat on my face, got back up, made mistakes, was blinded by the wrong people, then by the right ones, and then I spotted a star and married her.

Whenever I visit my father-in-law! More seriously, on film sets I dress very workwear, as the days are physically demanding and messy. T-shirts in wool or a linen blend. So between shoots, I like to take advantage and smarten up a bit, even just for myself and lounging at home; that’s when I wear shirts. Formal white or blue ones for evenings with friends or more upscale events, or blue denim or khaki military styles as overshirts.

My style is a blend of the whole clutter of influences in my head. There’s elegance and refinement, mixed with touches of rock, leather and wear, textured and raw materials. I don’t like head-to-toe single-aesthetic looks; I always find them artificial. I like mixing styles to create something unique that reveals character. I’ll wear a dress shirt and a blazer with beat-up Vans and slim jeans. Maharishi military carrot trousers with immaculate Oxfords... I really love it when fashion reinterprets workwear and military clothing.

My look is still evolving and is the result of constant reflection on my personality: who I am, who I want to be, what I want to project to the world, what feeling I want to evoke. I’ve come a long way; I used to buy clothes only on sale, picking them based on the discount percentage. I dressed poorly and looked like everyone else... Then I changed and educated myself. I discovered that black is a colour, that my size was smaller than I thought, and that you can express yourself through clothes. I also discovered the ethical side of garment manufacturing: the scandals around polluted cotton, working conditions in mass-market fashion, and the waste of disposable, low-quality garments.

I discovered Hast through the Bonne-Gueule blog, which regularly recommends the brand.

The value for money makes Hast a great choice for wardrobe staples like shirts. And above all, the manufacturing ethics and the sensible approach across the supply chain. On top of that, the cut is impeccable, and the fabrics are durable and beautiful.

Not working in fashion myself, though being very interested in it, I loved the team's initiative to involve customers by inviting them along for the ride.

I loved meeting everyone: the Hast team, but also fellow customers and now ambassadors. We are all very different, but everyone was genuinely interesting. The brand brings people together around its ethical values and mindful consumption, which is fantastic!

“True class is having fine clothes” - The French Democracy. Michel Hazanavicius.