Lutays Is the French Label Trying to Redefine Menswear’s ‘Missing Middle’

PARIS — At Paris-based brand Lutays, couture casual is the new suit.

That’s the pitch from founder Jean-Baptiste Rosseeuw, who has recently opened a new Paris atelier for his five-year-old menswear label, which is betting that men are ready to rethink what “dressed up” looks like.

“The casual jacket is the suit of tomorrow,” Rosseeuw said, describing the brand’s central offering of a bespoke, made-in-France wardrobe built around elevated everyday pieces rather than traditional tailoring.

Menswear, long anchored in rigid tailoring codes or logo-driven streetwear, is in a time of transition, said the Belgian designer. Lutays is positioning itself in the gap between the two.

For the brand, that gap is aesthetic and structural.

“For men, [previously] everything could be done bespoke, but not really the casual jacket,” he said. “Men are often stuck between a T-shirt and shorts, or a three-piece suit. There is a missing middle.”

Lutays, which takes its name from Lutèce — the ancient Roman name for Paris — is built around filling that space with what Rosseeuw calls “French panache” applied to modern wardrobes. The brand is entirely made in France, working with luxury ateliers.

“Everything you see is made in France at the highest level, using the same ateliers that produce for haute couture,” he said. Rosseeuw cut his teeth at bespoke shoemaker Corthay and Bottega Veneta, then served as the director of haute couture glove house Lavabre Cadet, before founding Lutays.

But unlike traditional tailoring, Lutays is pushing the menswear look into what Rosseeuw describes as the softness and flexibility of womenswear construction techniques.

“We use women’s couture techniques for menswear,” he said. “Tailoring is very formal and a little static. Womenswear is more dynamic, softer — we wanted to bring that savoir-faire into menswear.”

The result is a full wardrobe built around casual jackets, knitwear and workwear-inspired pieces, which has expanded to trousers, shorts, vests and waistcoats, all of which are intended to function as daily uniforms rather than occasion wear.

“We are trying to elevate casual wear into something truly elegant,” Rosseeuw said.

His atelier in Paris has been stripped down to reveal the original tile floors, and is dotted with locally sourced antiques.

Rosseeuw has created a hand-bound catalogue of sorts, in which he’s pasted historical photos and sketches of menswear through the ages on thick cotton paper. Clients can thumb through for reference and select design elements that can be incorporated into their personalized garment.

Elsewhere he has fabric selection books mixed among rails of samples.

Rosseeuw cites workwear, cultural archetypes and literary references — including a workwear jacket inspired by Émile Zola — as part of what he calls a “purist” design language.

That storytelling extends to construction details, including horn buttons, modular pocket structures and multiple interpretations of the same garment.

“All the small details are very well-thought-out,” he said.

The designer believes that menswear is shifting away from formality and toward strong staples for a closet built on uniformity rather than variety.

“You have two types of men,” Rosseeuw said. “One type are looking for a uniform, so they will stick to the model, but in every fabric and color possible, and some others are more like collectors.”

Either way, the behavior points in the direction of fewer but better pieces, worn more often.

That proposition is also embedded in Lutays’ business model. The brand produces entirely made-to-order, rather than holding inventory, with lead times of roughly six to eight weeks. And the brand relies on word of mouth — not marketing — in order to “put everything into the product,” he said.

Prices reflect its positioning in the emerging “quiet luxury” segment, though Rosseeuw is careful to frame the brand less as luxury fashion and more as service-driven craftsmanship. Jackets are priced at around 1,850 euros, while knitwear ranges from about 350 euros to 1,200 euros depending on materials such as silk or cashmere.

The customer base spans from tech bros who are now looking to expand their wardrobes beyond the gray hoodie, to design-driven creatives, and young professionals, such as doctors, he said. The classic styling keeps the clientele broad and flexible, with a wide age demographic.

A key driver of that appeal, he argues, is a rejection of logos and overbranding in favor of material quality and fit.

“Men like the intrinsic value,” he said. “Sometimes it’s not about the logo or the brand, but people like the good fabric or the good cut.”

Lutays has also begun expanding internationally through a selective wholesale and trunk show tour model, working with retailers in Japan, South Korea and the U.S., including stores in Tokyo and Seoul as well as a retailer in Washington, D.C. to take measurements and orders.

That hybrid approach — part bespoke tradition, part modern retail — reflects Rosseeuw’s approach to design and sales.

He believes that men are moving toward a more simplified, repeatable wardrobe to replace occasion dressing, and where investment is justified by cost-per-wear. Lutays is building a brand where a sweatshirt or a suit is no longer the default answer.

“Men don’t want to overthink too much in the morning,” he said. “So we’ve tried to rethink the model of menswear.”