You may not be so familiar with Paul Helbers’ name, but it’s more than likely you’re acquainted with his clothes. The French designer was formerly men’s style director at Louis Vuitton where, having cut his teeth at Margiela, he honed his natural flair for filtering classic style through his own contemporary lens.

Now the designer has branched out, founding his own namesake label to wide acclaim. Drawing on his extensive menswear experience, Helbers has begun to carve a focussed collection that cornerstones the essentials of a modern man’s wardrobe – from tailoring to sportswear and accessories. Think of a navy inspired anorak, elevated with waterproofed leather, nylon and shearling. Or the perfect cashmere and silk sweater, over an unstructured blazer.

The pieces are ingrained with quality (produced in Venice) and a feeling of memory and character, the kind of human elegance Helbers feels is important to this generation. For his debut collection for FW16, he looked to the worn in chic projected by the likes of Leonard Bernstein and T.S. Eliot. You can just picture Eliot, clad in a sweater similar to those Helbers has crafted, peering over a G&T in one of his old Fitzrovia haunts.

To mark his second presentation in Paris during men’s fashion week, Helbers gave us an insight into the ‘natural high’ of stepping out on his own after years.

Tempe Nakiska: Can you take us through some of the top line things you were thinking about while designing this season – music, art, icons, films?
Paul Helbers: I find resonance in the acoustic electro of Nils Frahm. I have also been looking at German collage artists and am influenced by the cloudy summer skies at my house by the ocean in Brittany.

TN: How would you encapsulate your mental moodboard in a few words?
PH: Enigmatic conceptual precision. Return to the cult of lightness and purity combining simplicity with sophistication.

TN: You’re two seasons into your eponymous line, how have you enjoyed it so far?
PH: A natural high.

TN: Last season you were inspired by the sartorial style of epic creatives like Bernstein and TS Eliot. Will these icons and similar continue to inspire the kind of man you are designing for, and how would you describe this man?
PH: Yes. A cross generation of man who choose individual style above fashion and appear natural in their effortless yet refined elegance.

TN: You are producing your collection in Venice, was it very important to you to manufacture in a hub known for artisanal integrity?
PH: Yes, I find great satisfaction in refuelling the fertile strength of artisan skills with more abstract and contemporary ideas sometimes accelerating on industrial technology but staying sensitive to local ‘savoir faire’.

“Menswear profits from a liberated state of mind so there is room for different interpretations,” says Helbers. “A skirt can hang next to a tailor-made jacket in the right men’s shop.”

TN: Comfort and quality seem to be at the core of what you’re doing – why are these values (over trends and fleeting fashion statements) so important in the context of the menswear market today?
PH: I like to combine a forgotten sense of masculinity with today’s relevance. So I make things lighter, softer and poise my ideas with the intelligence of today’s technology at a rigorous manufacturing standard. In an overcrowded menswear market, whispering versus shouting can be seen as refreshing. Menswear profits from a liberated state of mind so there is room for different interpretations. A skirt can hang next to a tailor-made jacket in the right men’s shop.

TN: The menswear schedule is currently being shaken up with brands combining their mens and women’s collections or pulling off the schedule completely – it’s a real time of flux. What’s your take on it all and do you think there’s a future for menswear-specific fashion weeks?
PH: The real problem is not when collections are presented but when they hit the shops. Try and find a navy roll neck sweater when it is snowing outside, all you can find is a t-shirt and swimming trunks as the seasons are too pushed by the constant retail demand of renewal. I don’t believe in the ‘see now buy now’ principle either, it only works for marketing driven brands where creativity or innovation is not the first priority.

The letting go of the controlled season gives freedom to designers and brands to present in their own way and own moment. In this new scenario everybody has got to learn and find out what works for them. The rule is that there are no rules.