Highsnobiety’s third installment of its Not In Paris program brings a collaboration with Atlanta streetwear label Bstroy. The four-piece capsule collection—dubbed “Bistrot” in a play on the label’s name and the French bistro restaurants that inspired the collaboration—includes a hoodie, t-shirt, and shorts. Each garment is screen-printed with the collection’s name in a raised red via a puff paint technique, further heightening their association with the glowing neon signs typical of bistros. Beyond the clothing, a special-edition beach towel is also available exclusively at bstroy.us.

But “Bistrot” is not your typical love letter to France. The capsule’s Francophile imagery is subverted by the incorporation of an Eiffel tower graphic underscored by the words “Not In Paris.” This thought-provoking element of the collection is a callback to Bstroy’s neo-native ideology, which encourages consumers to rethink their ideas of place and belonging in the post-pandemic world. 

The phrase “Not In Paris” was an apt title for the first two installments of Highsnobiety’s digital exhibition hub, which was conceived in 2020 in response to the cancellation of Paris Fashion Week Men’s. Yet the latest installment does make its way to the City of Lights as part of an exclusive Highsnobiety pop-up shop. From June 19 – 26, 2021, consumers can purchase the four pieces of the “Bistrot” collection at 198 rue de Rivoli. For those who can’t make it to Paris in time, the capsule is also available in Highsnobiety’s virtual shop.

Bringing the collection to life is a short film, also titled “Bistrot,” created by Bstroy founders Brick Owen and Dieter “Du” Grams. In the film, a couple stroll past French bistro restaurants, spend time reading in a tub, and relax on matching “Bistrot” beach towels at what appears to be a beach while a sample of Peter Sarstedt’s “Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?” plays in the background. The end of the film delightfully ties in the neo-native ideology, leading the viewer to question whether any of the film’s locations were what they seemed to be. “Bistrot” is a forced interrogation of what makes a place like Paris, well, Paris—continuing the trend of conversation-driving that has long elevated Bstroy above your everyday streetwear label.