A day in the life of Théo Termignon

When Théo Termignon opens the door to his Parisian flat, we’re greeted by Hulk, not the green incredible kind, but his dog. Théo, who moved to Paris a year ago, pours us a cup of coffee while his playlist goes from Pink Floyd to French rap sensation PNL. HOMECORE’s wholesale account manager sat down with us to talk radio alarm clocks, shower gels, and his love for menswear.

Hi Théo, can you introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is Théo, and I’m 29. I come from Lyon, and have been living in Paris for a year now. I moved here when I started working for HOMECORE as their wholesale account manager, which is a really humble way of saying I’m the head of international sales.

How did you end up working for HOMECORE?

I met Alexandre Guarneri, the brand’s founder, through my multi-brand shop in Lyon, called Kapadokya. We carried HOMECORE, among other brands. Alexandre came to see us in Lyon, and we talked for a while. We got along well, so we stayed in touch, and six months later I joined the HOMECORE team. When I moved to Paris, the stars aligned: we found a great new space for our Paris shop, along with a store manager.

Do you still do work for Kapadokya?

Yes, on my free time. I’m still in charge of the shop’s brand selection and buying. We sell HOMECORE, of course, along with a mix of brands. We cover everything from basics, to skate wear — which is part of my culture — as well as high-end menswear such as Études, 032C, Call Me 917, etc. I’m obviously not on site that much anymore, but I spent an unhealthy number of hours working and managing the store for six years. I opened Kapadokya with three partners, as I felt it was time for me to focus on something else, they were happy to take on my share of work.

With your focus now firmly set on HOMECORE, can you tell us what your position entails?

The position didn’t really exist before I joined the team. It basically consists in developing the brand, strengthening our network of retailers, distributors and collaborators, and a whole lot of travelling. I make sure our existing retailers are happy, find new ones to work with, put forward potential collaborations with artists and brands, and also work with our comms department a bit. It’s one of the benefits of working within a small company: there’s a lot of discussion, and everyone is free to give their opinion on everything.

At what time does your work day start?

I make it to the office before 9am, and generally try to leave around 6pm. Except for the Paris Fashion Week, obviously, during which I stop counting my hours. Before coming to the office, I have to walk Hulk, though. That takes me at least 15 minutes. We walk along the Seine, or on rue de Lille and rue de l’Université. It’s super important!

I’m guessing you get up pretty early.

Sort of. I get up at 7am but I struggle to get out of bed. I really like waking up with a radio alarm clock. The first thing I hear every morning is France Inter, after which I check my phone. Then I’ll drink a cup of coffee (with a cigarette, although I’m trying to cut back) and have a shower.

What products do you use when you shower?

The I originally chose that one because it’s a fun, original scent. I find it very invigorating in the morning! I also use the Horace After showering, I shave. I use the , and the I only have to shave twice a week, though, as my beard grows back slowly! I also use the It’s a crucial step in my grooming routine! I really like it because it’s light. I do end up putting more than necessary on, and go through it pretty quickly.

You have quite long hair. Is this a recent decision, or have you worn it long for a while?

I’m letting it grow out. I’m out of the complicated interval, during which I had no choice but to wear a cap, often (laughs)! It’s fairly recent. I’ve been through a bunch of different hairstyles, including the polar opposite to my current one, a shaved head, which I kept for a long time.

Do you exercise?

I tore my ACL while playing football in 2012, and never got surgery for lack of time. As a consequence, there’s a long list of sports I can’t do: skiing, football, and pretty much anything that involves lateral movement. I try to run regularly and do as many activities as I can, so long as they don’t pull on the knees too much.

Before working in the menswear industry, you were a DJ, right?

Yes. I started when I was 18. It was right in the middle of the Ed Banger and French Touch 2.0 period. One of my friends organised parties, and he would book me to open for headliners, in Lyon and Paris. It was a great time of my life, I was carefree, I got to play in awesome places (Nuits Sonores, Social Club) and meet some incredible artists (Ivan Smagghe, Kavinsky, 2 Many DJ’s). I really enjoyed introducing others to the music I loved, and the entire culture was very closely linked to my true passion: menswear. At some point I had to choose between DJing and Kapadokya, and nightlife was starting to take its toll on me. The decision was fairly obvious. The rest, as they say, is history.

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