It has been one year since Living in Monaco last sat down with Andreas Allenbach, the creative force behind Crisoni, a brand that has become synonymous with bespoke elegance and refined tailoring in the Principality.
Over the past year, the Monégasque Made-to-Measure fashion brand Crisoni has undergone a significant transformation – redefining its concept, expanding its team, and embracing exclusivity without compromising craftsmanship.
It is time to explore the brand’s evolution, the changing fashion identity of Monaco, new collaborations with institutions such as the uniform of the Monaco Police and the Prince’s Palace of Monaco, and how Crisoni balances innovation with tradition.
The Man Behind Crisoni
Born in Zürich, Switzerland, the global centre for banking and finance, Andreas Allenbach always dreamed of working in fashion. However, growing up in a family with a traditional mindset, his father envisioned a regular Swiss school education followed by university studies for Andreas.
He founded Crisoni, a true Monaco brand dedicated to the local people, and has dressed many personalities. He was also selected to create outfits for the Monégasque delegation for the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Andreas elevates Monaco’s fashion style with ready-to-wear and elegant made-to-measure garments. Andreas helps both men and women express their personal style and taste through his handmade and tailored garments, which will be completely unique for any event they attend.
At the age of 17, Andreas started various apprenticeships with different companies.
“I remember, I went to various internships, but I was totally unhappy,” - says Andreas. - “One day, I came out and my mother picked me up, and I was nearly crying because I was so unhappy in this office. Then she said, “Okay, now we go to this fashion company and we ask, we don’t tell your father about it.”
We went there, and they took me immediately. I did a one-week training with them, and they said, “Perfect”. Then I started my fashion journey there and did not stop until Monte-Carlo.”
Supported by his mother, she spoke behind closed doors with Andreas’ father and convinced him that they needed to allow Andreas to fulfil his dream.
Starting his career as a regular employee in the fashion business, Andreas quickly became a store director and then a buyer, a role with significant responsibility. In the retail industry, a buyer is an individual who selects which items are stocked, with their key responsibility being to handle all the products that come into the store.
Managing 33 stores, Andreas began travelling the world, looking for inspiration and the finest garments for markets from Europe and America to the Far East.
“I discovered the beauty of travelling to new countries and meeting international people. All this reminded me of my dream to live in the South of France. I always had this attraction, as I felt much more South European than North European or Swiss.”
Andreas, who already spoke multiple languages, including French, travelled around France and found new customers, including Le Bon Marché, Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, and many others, for an internationally well-known shirt brand he represented. He found new customers everywhere, except in Monaco, which bothered him.
“I said, “How is this possible?”. All I saw was that people in Monaco are always dressed up, going out to restaurants in nice shirts, and attending events all year. Yet, local stores were not interested in the shirts I represented.”
During one of his sales meetings, Andreas met a local salesperson, who asked him: “Why don’t you make your own store? You have a great product””.
Fascinated by the idea, Andreas made a spontaneous decision to embark on the next step in his fashion journey. In 2016, he established his very own store in the Principality of Monaco.
“It was a spontaneous decision, but then I started to realise that setting up a business is not easy at all. However, I am a persistent person who enjoys creating new things, and the possibility of fulfilling my dream to live in the South gave me energy towards success.”
Launching Crisoni generated extraordinary interest from the locals because they found something made in Monaco, specifically for local tastes, and not available anywhere else in the world.
A Transformational Year
Last year, Andreas launched his third showroom in Monaco, the Crisoni Femmes, dedicated to the ladies of the Principality. Crisoni Femme offered a new trend for women by bringing them a unique collection with several choices of fabrics and cuts and an unrivalled tailor-made service.
It was a long-awaited store, as women needed made-to-measure clothes as well, because they are taller, smaller, have bigger shoulders, etc; simply put, they also wanted clothes that adapted to their bodies. And Crisoni Femmes listened to their need.
Several of the Crisoni house’s stylists have created a ready-to-wear collection and will create tailor-made cocktail, gala, and wedding dresses.
“Professionally, this past year has been extremely important for us because we completely evolved our concept. When the Living in Monaco magazine interviewed us last year, we had just opened this boutique as a women’s ready-to-wear store. That was the original idea. But we soon realized that ladies’ ready-to-wear is a tricky market in Monaco: there’s a lot of competition, the buying behavior is different, and women often want to personalize every garment.
At the same time, we had a growing demand for made-to-measure. So, around February–March this year, I decided to transform the boutique entirely into a made-to-measure showroom, by appointment only. No more walk-ins. We stopped women’s ready-to-wear but kept women’s made-to-measure, and it has been very well received. Clients love the privacy, exclusivity, and the fully personalized service.”
Why did you change direction with Crisoni Femme if the feedback was positive?
“Yes, we had positive responses from both local and international clients. However, the space is small, and women want variety and customization — shorter sleeves, different shoulders, different lengths, more options. To properly offer ready-to-wear for women, you need a large assortment, and we couldn’t do that in this space. So it made more sense to refocus on bespoke and made-to-measure. Now, every woman gets a unique piece — no duplicates — either made-to-measure from our tailoring service or fully custom-designed by Terrence. It’s more efficient, exclusive, and appreciated.”
Crisoni created a collaboration with Fashion designer, Terrence Bray, who was the stylist of Princess Charlene for five years.
“Another major development is that Terrence Bray joined us in a collaboration. We now offer in-house bespoke evening and wedding dresses for women, entirely made in Monaco.”
The internationally recognized award winning designer Terrence Bray is now responsible for Crisoni’s bespoke creations and the creative direction of the brand. Terrence had prior collaborations with Giorgio Armani, Karl Lagerfeld, the Louis Vuitton celebrity atelier and Dior Couture atelier. With his technical background in bridal and evening wear as well as Ready-to-Wear – for both women and men – Terrence lends his unique design aesthetic to Crisoni.
Crisoni also expanded their team of tailors inside the 14 rue Grimaldi Atelier, which gives them more flexibility as their corporate sector has grown significantly.
“We started dressing parts of the Monaco police and are in discussions to supply more divisions. We also dress three departments from the Prince’s Palace. Corporate business has really accelerated over recent months.”
Monaco and the Fashion
Monaco is evolving quickly. How do you see the fashion identity of the Principality changing, and where does Crisoni fit?
“I don’t know if it’s changing entirely, but it is evolving. Monaco is becoming even more luxury-oriented, in restaurants, concepts, lifestyle. People still love to dress up, even young people wear shirts, jackets, dresses to dinner. But I feel people are tired of seeing the same global brands everywhere. Big brands like Louis Vuitton have seen a 20–30% drop this year.
So fashion here is moving towards individuality and uniqueness, and that’s our strength. We are the only brand in Monaco offering ready-to-wear, made-to-measure, bespoke, and fully made-in-Monaco tailoring for both men and women. That combination doesn’t exist anywhere else here.”
Do you think Monaco residents like to dress up?
“I have been working in the fashion industry for over 35 years. Being passionate about fashion and interested in life in general, I travelled around the world. Yet, I’m always impressed by how the people are dressed in Monaco.
It is so beautiful to see because there is still a difference between various occasions, such as an evening at the opera and a Sunday evening walk along the sea. Even to go to a restaurant, people wear shirts.
It doesn’t always have to be with a tie, but with a nice shirt, nice trousers, good shoes, and matching colours.
I have friends visiting from the fashion business from all over the world, and they are always impressed.
We go to restaurants, and it’s amazing to see ladies in beautiful long summer dresses. In winter, they have nice knitwear and blazers. There is a contemporary, elegant style in Monaco, which I love a lot.”
The word “bespoke” itself is derived from the verb “bespeak”, meaning to “speak for something” or to “be spoken for”. Bespoke clothing is traditionally cut from a pattern specifically crafted for an individual client and thus differs from made-to-measure, which is produced to order from a pre-cut pattern.
How long is the process to create a made-to-measure suit?
“Generally, we deliver within 10 days to four weeks. There are possibilities to make it a little faster, as we have very good collaborations with different ateliers. We also established fast-track production for some special cases, but it has limited capacity and a higher cost.”
Despite the fact that it’s a unique piece, what would you say is the benefit of having a made-to-measure suit?
“There are a lot of benefits, a lot of different things. The main one for me is that this suit really fits you. It’s made for you based on your specific body type. It means you will feel much more comfortable because it’s really adapted to your body. That’s point number one.
For me, the most important thing with fashion at the end of the day is that the person feels comfortable and feels good. This also gives him confident behaviour.
If you dress somebody in something that he’s not okay with and he doesn’t feel comfortable, then he will never have this great, easy attitude with other people. Clothing is important in this way.”
There is also a lot of hidden work behind the waiting time. It is necessary to create a unique suit that fits all the needs. Compared to this, a ready-to-wear suit has a much limited offer and might also need alterations to adapt. Also, machine-made suits last less time than special-made ones.
“Imagine that you wear something that is unique in the world. Only yours.
There is no second suit existing like this because even if another gentleman chooses the same blue material, he will choose another lining, another stitching, another pocket size or style, a different lapel, closed, open, longer, shorter, and so on. What I love about my work at Crisoni is that every single piece we create is unique.”
Andreas believes that people who are truly interested in fashion are always looking for something exclusive. They are tired of paying a lot of money for ready-to-wear items that many neighbours in Monaco might also have. They want to own something personalised with their initials inside. This is why premium made-to-measure products can strongly compete with luxury brands.
What are the most requested garments right now? Are there emerging trends or colors?
“Crisoni will always stay in the formal and elegant segment. I don’t want to compete with fast-fashion or trendy brands. For women, we’re seeing a lot of demand for wide-leg trousers with waistcoats, checked fabrics, slightly oversized cuts, all in neutral tones. As for colors, our identity remains: whites, navy, soft blues, pastel pinks. Not bright oranges or neon greens,” – laughs Andreas, - “more of an Italian, understated elegance.”
What is the most important accessory for a man?
“The pocket square. In today’s fashion trends 90% of the people are not wearing ties anymore. In Monaco, Crisoni still sells ties because of the government institutions and the national establishments. But normal businessmen, even in the formal sectors such as banking and finance, don’t wear ties anymore.
A beautiful open shirt and a jacket spiced up with a matching pocket square which gives a bit of twist and fantasy to it. I really like pocket squares and I believe it is the most important accessory for a man.”
And for women?
“For women, there are many accessories. I think the most successful are our small scarves, which we have recently released. Women wear them in many different ways: around the bag, around the neck, or on the wrist. They have become a versatile and popular accessory, even if they are not strictly “essential” like the pocket square for men.”
Crisoni at the Heart of the Principality
The Principality of Monaco has an amazing and supportive community. Nothing proves this better than the fact that one of Andreas’ customers at Crisoni, who works for the government and the Olympic Committee, approached him to dress the entire Monaco delegation for the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020.
“It was an honour for me to do this for Monaco, a city-state that I now call home. We made designs and propositions for Tokyo, and they loved it with the red and white. We even created the shoes and a special belt for it.”
Since then, Crisoni Atelier has been the official partner of the Olympic Committee, including the most recent Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
“I am very happy, as it is fantastic to see that the HSH Prince dresses in Crisoni.”
Andreas is a great sports fan, and the Crisoni brand is working with numerous sports personalities.
“I was driven by this idea of having a dedicated Crisoni ambassador. We have a wonderful relationship with Louis and Marie Ducruet, and I found them to be a beautiful couple and a perfect fit for our brand values. They are both working, young parents. They love animals and have a nice lifestyle, but not excessively so.”
Having a great admiration for football, Andreas and Louis also connected over the sport, as Louis is the President of the Barbagiuans, which brings together some of the sovereign’s relatives in a friendly football team.
“Marie is also interested in clothing. They are young parents and have a very bright future in Monaco. When I consider all these values together, it was just a perfect match. I think for us, it’s just a perfect long-term vision.”
Crisoni Corporate
A very significant part of Andreas’ legacy is Crisoni Corporate, where he collaborates with his Monégasque business partner.
Crisoni Corporate focusses on functional wear, targeting businesses such as the Société des Bains de Mer (SBM), the Roca Team Basket Monaco, the Automobile Club de Monaco, the Comité Olympique de Monaco, the Ports de Monaco, and the Fédération Monégasque de Rugby.
“Custom corporate wear is a statement of a company’s or a club’s presence; it states who you are and what you do. It defines the essence of your business or activity, and that in itself naturally gives you a professional image.
For instance, all 320 employees of Casino de Monte-Carlo are dressed in Crisoni.”
So Crisoni Corporate is more for corporate clients, right?
“Exactly. We wanted to separate it from Crisoni because it is a different business. I feel there is a high demand for bespoke uniforms that represent not only the client but also the image of the Principality. We even have conversations with restaurants to elevate their presence.”
How does someone differentiate Crisoni from Crisoni Corporate?
“We carefully created two different labels for the two brands. Crisoni Corporate has a different label to show that it is functional wear.
For example, we dress all the drivers from the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo and Hermitage Monte-Carlo.
However, their clients might wear a Crisoni suit, which is a more sophisticated, higher-quality product. That’s why we have two separate companies and concepts.”
Are there new institutional collaborations or national partnerships?
“Yes. As I mentioned, this year we began collaborating with the Monaco Police, dressing the first 25 officers. Now we’re working on prototypes for more uniforms. We also continue to dress three Palace services (concierge, guards, etc.).
We dressed the Monte-Carlo Cigar Club in the Casino for SBM and next week we start working on a new concept for a five-star SBM hotel opening next spring. So yes, a lot of exciting local collaborations are happening.”
The Future
What has been the biggest challenge this year as an entrepreneur in Monaco, and what lesson did you learn?
“The biggest challenge remains the Monaco neighborhood mentality. We’re in a very local area, and it’s difficult to get people from Avenue Princesse Grace or Carré d’Or to cross over here. Once they come, they love it. But they don’t naturally explore new streets.
I hope that with the new bank, the notary, and the renovation of the market square, this neighborhood will grow and attract more visitors. That’s our main challenge: bringing new people through the door.”
Crisoni is known for its personal, human approach. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence and digital tailoring, how do you maintain craftsmanship while embracing innovation?
“This is something I think about a lot. The key is finding the right balance. Technology and AI give us amazing tools, but our clients come here for human connection, time, conversation, memories. Some don’t even need a new suit, they come for the experience.
We blend technology with tradition. For example, we are working with 3D design technology for shoes and would like to integrate more digital solutions into our made-to-measure process to make it smoother and more immersive, but without losing the personal touch.”
During your career, what was the best advice you ever received that helped you?
“At the age of 23, I took over the responsibility for a store with 14 employees in Switzerland. I remember one morning when the area manager of the company came and invited me for a coffee. He said, “Make sure that you’re always surrounded by successful people. Create a team, and then you will be really successful. It doesn’t help to make them smaller than they are or put them down to show you are the big boss. No, let them develop, and if you’re surrounded by successful people, you will be successful for sure.”
This, for me, was the best business advice I ever had. It’s not always easy, but I have tried to follow this until today.”
Are you planning to expand to new markets like the USA or the Middle East?
“Not at the moment. Right now, I want to perfect the concept here in Monaco. We still need to improve our social media, online presence, maybe launch an online store.
I was in Dubai recently, and I think the concept could work well there one day, especially with the Monte-Carlo brand, but it’s not a priority for the next 1–2 years.”
The Principality of Monaco offers a vast selection of luxury clothing. Where do you see the competitive edge of Crisoni?
“Monaco residents feel very attracted to Crisoni, but tourists also love it because the label says Monte-Carlo. It is a great and practical souvenir for them to bring back home.
They can buy a white linen shirt and fly home to Brazil, Germany, Poland, or anywhere else, saying, “I bought my shirt in Monte-Carlo”. This makes a huge difference.
The locals are very happy because they say, “We have our own store brand here in Monaco. It’s for us. It’s not existing in Nice, Paris, or London. It’s only here. That’s for the locals”.”
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