Through every neighborhood, every conversation, and every carefully chosen piece, our Parisian Profiles celebrate the people who make the city what it is.
We selected ten people to offer a well-rounded perspective on what it means to be Parisian. They come from across the city and around the world, with distinct professions, personalities, and points of view. Yet they are united by one idea: Paris is home.
For Mathieu Canet, the perfect day in Paris is one without plans.
“Doing nothing in Paris,” is how he describes it. There is something distinctly Parisian about finding pleasure in having nowhere in particular to be: sitting on a terrace with a coffee and cigarette, watching the city continue around you, and allowing the day to take its own direction.
Mathieu’s answers are uncomplicated, and that simplicity seems fitting. He works as a chef and cooks at home as well, making food something that exists on both sides of his professional and personal life. In September, he opened his own Parisian restaurant, Le Casseron, in the 11th arrondissement. At home, he is also a father, where time takes on a different meaning altogether.
His relationship with clothing follows a similar philosophy of patience. When Mathieu chooses something he intends to wear for years, he looks for longevity and patina. Rather than expecting an object to remain pristine, he appreciates what happens as it is worn and lived in. Materials change, surfaces soften, and traces of use gradually make something individual to its owner.
It is a philosophy particularly suited to pieces designed to last. The value is not necessarily found in how something looks on its first day, but in what it becomes after years of being part of everyday life.
Ask Mathieu about the luxury he would never surrender and the answer is equally concise: time.
Time to cook. Time to sit on a terrace. Time for objects to acquire patina. And, with fatherhood approaching, perhaps time is about to become an even more valuable luxury.
Mathieu’s Paris Tip:
Mathieu keeps his recommendations characteristically brief: Le Navy, his favorite hidden address in Paris.
What Mathieu Wears:
Mathieu wears the opera-pump-inspired Slim Black, a refined slip-on that brings an elegant shape to everyday footwear. Versatile by design, it can move from denim during the day to a tuxedo in the evening.
He also wears the Edouard Black, a Jacques Solovière Paris staple with a more understated profile. Crafted from high-quality leather in our signature one-piece construction, it is designed to be worn often and to become more personal with time.
Photographer: Marilou Daubé
AD: Marlène Mangin
