The story of Qui

In 1886, at the same time as the unveiling of the statue of liberty in the united states, Gilles Qui, a young french libertine and purveyor of finer fabrics, became inspired, at the tender age of 19, by the international celebration of liberty which followed in the wake of this event.

Being a good friend of Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor of said statue, Qui too wanted to refine his craft and make it a symbol honoring freedom and change. Like the American sign of independence his idea was to celebrate quality, fit and fashionable living, as something available to every man who posed the drive and fortitude to acquire a taste and a style that went against the grain.

As such Qui ultimately wanted to celebrate the work of extraordinary men, like that of his friend Bartholdi, those that went beyond the mere and menial existence of the industrial revolution. In other words, the individuals that shaped history and that no machines could replace.

To actualize this desire he poured all of his resources into establishing the House of Qui, dedicating it to locating and manufacturing the highest quality of piece goods, using all of his knowledge and expertise within the arts of fabric.

After his death at the age of 82, the heir to the house of Qui, Michel Qui, decided to commemorate his fathers memory, by branching out into a manufacturing of high quality shirts, marking both the passing and the new beginning of the house of Qui. The shirts became an instant scourge in fashion centers across Europe in the postwar period that engulfed the continent; a simple must-have for Italian workers, French officers on leave as well as the old English gentleman and even across the seas to the modern American business men.

More than a centennial later this house still stands, manufacturing some of the most classic and original mens shirts in the world, still using the finer materials, know-how and craftsmanship handed down throughout the generations of Qui. To this day Qui shirts therefore remains a symbol of the quintessence of style and extraordinary living that writes history and forge it into legends.