Thomas Cantoni was born and raised in Marseille, but it was in Paris that he launched his career as a graphic designer. For nearly fifteen years, he shaped the image of a host of brands there on behalf of renowned advertising agencies. And then one day, when it was time to start a family, Thomas Cantoni felt the powerful desire to return to the South. For the sun, and for the sea. Marseille and its surroundings are the California of this surfing enthusiast. Coming down from his bike, his hair ruffled by the mistral, the Marseillais tells a little about his life at the table of a café in the Vieux Port, there, right in front of the sailboats ready to set sail towards the Calanques.
What is your parents' style?
My mother is Danish from Copenhagen. She is something of a walking cliché: she is delicate, blonde with translucent blue eyes, and very pale. Whatever the season, she wears denim shirts. She has a very American style. My father is Corsican. He has a shaved head and a very thick nose. He speaks loudly, too. All his life, my father has worn suits and a tie. For him, standing matters.
For your part, what were your first inspirations?
For a long time, my uncle made surf films. He introduced me to this culture when I was a kid. I watched him put his projects together on his big screen, and I soaked up all these images that scrolled by. It was a very Californian imagery, with guys in t-shirts, legends like Tom Curren or Tom Carroll, and the king of longboarding Joel Tudor. From his trips to the United States, my uncle brought me back a whole bunch of logo t-shirts. I wore them with a pair of Vans, also brought back from there.
American logos are a big part of your aesthetic…
Even today, I have a thousand logo T-shirts in my closet. I really like the one with a golden eagle, for the Pontiac car brand. It's so strong that I'm sure there are guys who want the logo before the car. In France, we learn art history in art schools, while in the United States, the emphasis is on graphics, which is totally different. In France, we may have good basketball players, but the team jerseys are completely uninteresting. Visually, it never works. In the United States, you only have to go to a college basketball game to discover incredible visuals. The logos on the jerseys always have something great, as do the colors, by the way. The same goes for the equipment of the race car drivers or the firefighters' uniforms. Everything is more racy. America is a permanent graphic slap, with a natural elegance to boot. In France, I find that only the OM logo, with the two letters intertwined, has character. And I say that, even though I'm not even a big football fan.
That time I was in Paris, and on the way to a meeting I bought it, thinking that this way I would throw a little more. I still wonder what was going through my head.
In general, what is your relationship with fashion?
I'm not a fashionista. I have a rather classic style, very timeless, sober. I like to wear white t-shirts and jeans. The basic of the American silhouette. For me, it's a uniform. I like comfort, to be comfortable in my clothes. In fact, I have a hard time getting used to certain codes of the trend: narrow pants, small hems, it's not for me. Sometimes I buy slightly crazy pieces, but I always end up never wearing them, like this leather jacket that cost me an arm and a leg. That time, I was in Paris, and on the way to a meeting, I bought it thinking that, that way, I would throw away a little more. I still wonder what went through my head. Today, when I put it on in front of a mirror, I feel like I'm in disguise.
In your opinion, does the city of Marseille have a particular look?
If I had to find a comparison, I would say that Paris is very chic, it is a city with chic, while in Marseille, everything is more popular, in education, and in the way of speaking as well as dressing. Generally, here, people do not care about the artifices of style. Apart from my friends who are lawyers or notaries, I do not know anyone who wears dress jackets in everyday life. The suit is a professional necessity or nothing. And then Marseille is also a place that has a large pool of what I call "big cakes". Look-at-me types who think they are elegant but who, in reality, are dressed anyhow.