How Pigalle Is Changing the World by Bridging Streetwear and Basketball Subcultures

Pigalle is much more than a brand to the neighborhood its named after.

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Complex Original

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The story of Pigalle is well-known by now. After playing professional basketball for a period of time, founder Stéphane Ashpool created the hoops-inspired brand and even teamed up with LeBron James and Nike to construct a basketball court in the Paris neighborhood of Pigalle. What's been less documented is the transformative effect the court and brand has had on the youth in the area, which Ashpool talks about in detail with Dazed.

Ashpool recalls that Pigalle was once only known as Paris' red light district—the famous cabaret, the Moulin Rouge, still calls the neighborhood home—and was afflicted by gang violence. Ashpool wanted to provide the area's youth with an alternative. "I thought if I could make somewhere [to play basketball] it would bring people together," he tells Dazed. Two teenagers with family members involved in gangs say that Ashpool has become a role model and his brand Pigalle has helped shape the area into "a family." 

That family is made up of a group of teenagers and young men known as Pain O Chokolat, part of a Parisian collective, which also includes Pigalle, that recently collaborated with Stussy. The community formed on the basketball court has allowed the group members to flourish in other industries. "Lots of people know us around here," says a teen named Thio. One of the group's older members, known as Gogo, has achieved success as a model and appeared in the latest Pigalle x Nike lookbook.  

At the very least, Pigalle has brought attention to a a diverse neighborhood that now has hipster establishments, such as a '90s R&B karaoke bar, popping up all over the area. "We always knew it was the coolest place," Thio says. "I guess now everyone else knows, too."

You can read the entire story here

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