GREATEST: Guillaume Philibert
From his parents’ garage to collabs with KITH, Barneys and beyond; ten years on, the Filling Pieces founder isn’t slowing down.
Since launching Filling Pieces in 2009, Guillaume Philibert has always emphasized form over function. Now approaching the brand’s 10-year anniversary, Guillaume hopes to find new ways to connect with his consumer.
Amsterdam is such a diverse place. What was life like growing up?
I grew up in a very small village in the Netherlands, about a 30-minute drive from Amsterdam. My parents come from Suriname, which is in South America and a former Dutch colony. They came to the Netherlands to study and stayed there for a better future. I grew up as an outsider, but from that I was able to learn more about both Suriname and Dutch cultures—and all the values of being an immigrant. The Netherlands colonized a lot of countries, which makes it quite diverse when it comes to different ethnic backgrounds.
I founded Filling Pieces back in 2009 when I was still an architectural student. I was inspired by Pharrell Williams and Kanye West who were on the come-up at the time—how they were mixing streetwear with designer pieces. To me, there was a very big gap between the two.
When I was 19, I was studying, doing Filling Pieces on the side and also working at a clothing store. As a student, I didn't have the budget to buy designer clothing but I saved up for a pair of Dior trainers. The product was exceptional but the athletic component was missing. This is where I got the idea to design a product that would bridge the two. I felt there was a very big gap between athletic and luxury footwear price points as well as on the athletic and aesthetic side.
You’ve mentioned that you started Filling Pieces in your parents' garage. What was their initial reaction?
In the beginning, my parents supported the whole journey of creating this brand and allowed me to chase my dream. However, my parents are from Suriname and their understanding of work is conservative. They wanted me to focus on my studies, finish school, get my paper and then find a job. After that, they allowed me to do whatever I wanted to pursue. My parents worked really hard for me, my brother and my sister so that we were able to go to school and have a better future.
I always live by this ideology of function over form, where you create a space based on the functionality and the reason why it exists.
You studied architecture—similar to footwear designers such as Virgil Abloh and Tinker Hatfield. What inspires your design process and how have you bridged that world with footwear design?
Studying architecture has given me an interesting approach to design. In general, architecture is about creating a space and truly understanding the person that will occupy it. I always live by this ideology of function over form, where you create a space based on the functionality and the reason why it exists. When you create a product from an architectural point of view, there’s a duality and harmony between function and aesthetic.
Filling Pieces is utilizing more technology like Livetech and Vibram outsoles. Could you speak about your approach to innovation?
In general, the industry is in a very weird moment where technology is advanced but consumer behaviors are changing. I feel we reach different consumers with the product range we offer. We feel we can differentiate our product because of our effort to use certain technologies, [like] this new leather that changes color in different temperatures. The younger consumer is fully aware of everything that’s happening in the fashion and sneaker industry. They want "newness" every day. We need to be able to communicate to that consumer.
Sometimes you forget to realize where you’ve been. You have to be grateful and celebrate the steps you have made so far.
Guillaume Philibert
As far as working with other brands and you staying true to your core, does that often dictate who you work with on a collaborative level—like Barneys, KITH and Majid Jordan? What do you consider a successful collaboration?
It depends how you look at it. The collaborations we’ve done are now a part of our DNA. Working with Barneys was very important to us because we can still be part of a [luxury] segment next to Prada and Gucci. It’s also important to work with KITH—not just because they're doing such a great job, but also to showcase that our product can exist within more of a sneaker and contemporary fashion segment. It’s important for us to show the diversity of the product to different consumers.
For us, a successful collaboration has to feel very organic and genuine. It has to make sense in terms of making something that actually adds value to the product, to the industry or to a person that will enjoy it. Slapping different logos on a product isn’t a successful project.
How has Filling Pieces’ aesthetic evolved since launching? What have been the most profound changes?
The goal hasn't changed since we started back in 2009 and early 2010. The product offering and range has evolved with time, as we believe in respecting the core but also to keep innovating. When you pay very close attention to our Low Top, the first shoe we ever designed and manufactured, you see minor updates to make the shoe perfect each season. I like to refer to the Porsche 911: the main lines haven't changed much, but the car gets better, faster and more comfortable to drive. I look at footwear and apparel with this same ideology.
On new silhouettes, we focus on what's going on in the market, what we feel is going to become big and then use those inspirations with the core FP design ethos. There is a fine line between trend-hopping, and seeing cycles and movement in the fashion industry and adapting them to make it your own.
Filling Pieces dates back to 2009—do you have anything in store for your 10-year anniversary?
We are working on a documentary film and a bunch of events, together with a small capsule collection. The main purpose of the anniversary activations is to celebrate what we as a team and community have achieved in 10 years. For the documentary, it will be focused on the story of how we‘ve built a brand that survived in this difficult industry, with a focus on the intense lows and the highest highs. I want people to fully feel inspired to start their own brand, business or service and feel that they can do it too.
Since debuting ready-to-wear in 2017, how has that impacted the brand? What were the greatest challenges?
We knew it wasn’t going to be easy to start this new journey and segment within the brand. Ready-to-wear is such a different beast and in no way comparable to the footwear business, so we took the time to really think how this would make sense. There are so many strong apparel brands introducing footwear, which feels more organic than [vice versa]. That aside, I strongly believe that it's a great addition to the brand image and awareness.
Over the summer, you took to Instagram to tease a photo of a women’s heel. Can you tell us more about Filling Pieces’ progression into women’s footwear beyond sneakers, and when we can expect these styles to be available?
My fiancé, Inessa, is obsessed with heels and footwear in general. She has been a great inspiration for me to create the first pair of heels. The collection was based on the redefinition of ‘family,’ where we created seven fictional characters that are a modern family. For each character, we designed a full wardrobe, so for the CEO mother, we had to design a pair of heels. With these shoes, we really took the creative freedom to use everyday objects as an inspiration, so a carabiner was for us a perfect size and shape for the heel part. It was hard to find a good factory that was able to make this shoe, but we got there in the end.
Footwear is such an important part of a female’s wardrobe, so we felt this would open a new segment for the brand and ways to fully express our vision within the female market. The carabiner heels will be released sometime in December.
You’ve said you were inspired to create Filling Pieces in order to “bridge the gap” in the fashion industry and make it more universally accessible. Is this still key to your mindset?
It has been our main goal and focus from the beginning, and still today. Of course, the fashion industry has changed since we started and high-end and streetwear styles have never come as close as they are today, but what's important to me is that our brand messaging, content and products show a full, inclusive universe. We, as Filling Pieces, feel the responsibility and the need to unite diversity. Bridging high-end and streetwear means you bring together different people, styles and creatives. This is what is most inspiring for us as a brand.
Photography by Yavez Anthonio and interview by GREATEST Staff