Every fencing bout begins with the same three words from the referee: En garde. Prêts? Allez! On guard. Ready? Fence. Our collections take their names from that language, and each name marks a different moment on the strip.
En Garde: the moment before
En garde is both a command and a position. The referee calls it, and each fencer settles into the on-guard stance: knees bent, weight balanced, blade forward, ready to move in either direction. Nothing has happened yet, and everything is possible.
That position is where our philosophy comes from. Be En Garde® means staying ready, moving with intention, and guarding the mind, heart, and soul. EN GARDE is the core of the house, the pieces built for that state of readiness, season after season.
Riposte: the answer
A riposte is the attack a fencer makes immediately after parrying an opponent's blade. First the defense, then the reply, with no pause between them. It is how a fencer turns pressure into a point.
RIPOSTE, our SS26 chapter, carries that idea: answer with intention. It sits inside EN GARDE because a riposte only exists for a fencer who was ready first.
La Belle: the deciding touch
When two fencers are tied at the end of a bout, the next touch decides everything. Fencers call it la belle, French for "the beautiful one." Every fencer knows the feeling: one point left, and the whole bout comes down to it.
LA BELLE is our upcoming luxury collection. More on it when the time comes.
Ready, then answer, then decide
Read in order, the names follow a bout from its first call to its final point. Get ready. Answer with intention. Rise to the deciding touch. That is the arc of the house, and it is the reason the names come from the strip instead of a mood board.
Explore EN GARDE SS26, the RIPOSTE chapter, or all garments. To hear about LA BELLE first, join THE LIST.
Be En Garde®.