Designer Q & A - The Unknown Factory

This week's Q & A is with Eli and Moshe Azran owners and designers of The Unknown Factory.

1) Why do you think after 200 years jeans are still one of the most popular items of clothing?

Moshe: I think that there are a few reasons for the continued demand of denim, however, I believe the main two reasons are: The feeling you get when putting on a brand new pair of jeans and the versatility of denim in everyone's closet. You can dress up or down denim any way you want.

Eli: One word. Versatility. There's no other item that does not discriminate.

2) Last time I counted there were over 200 brands of premium denim jeans, what makes your jeans stand out from the rest?

Eli: It would be a bold lie to say we use the finest Italian fabrics, and have mastered the perfect fit, the truth is we all use the same fabrics [as other premium denim companies]. Quite honestly, if your jeans don't fit they don't belong in stores.

Moshe: Our details and washes stand out more than any other brand out there.

3) Who do you imagine is a typical customer?

Moshe: A confident girl that knows what she wants.

Eli: Underground, not into branding, but a label whore, who wears Louboutins, Carpe Diems, Rick Qwens. It's pretty trippy because I could probably describe "our girl" extremely well, its so important to know who you want to target, it helps you establish a true identity. I hate brands who flip-flop, There's nothing worse.

4) Where do you get your inspiration from?

Moshe: Anywhere, art, music, movies, scenery, weather, you name it and it inspires us.

Eli: As crazy as this sounds, it's from perception of what I think people are wearing. It's a way of looking at things.

5) Which style and wash of your jeans are flying out of the shops the quickest at the moment?

Moshe: Skinny with Zipper back pocket and our Biker Jeans.

Eli: The zipper in destroyed worker and the the Robocop in Stone Black....

6) Are there any essential jeans that everyone should have in their wardrobe?

Moshe: One pair of jeans that you can wear out or in. A true blue denim.

Eli: black skinnies

7) What are the first pair of jeans you remember?

Moshe: Levi's. I think that might be the first pair of jeans everyone remembers but when I was younger my parents always wore Levi's.
Eli: Probably...Aviatic. I grew up in the South of France. My parents being in fashion, they used to wear the coolest clothes.....

8) What have been your favourite pair of jeans that you have owned and why?

Moshe: Favorite pair of jeans for me is my APC's. I wear them everyday until they break in completely and go back and buy a new pair. It's the most amazing feeling when you wear a Raw Jean and witness on a daily basis the denim wearing out.

Eli: Dior Homme in black, blue, and grey.

9) What have been your favourite pair of jeans that you have produced and why?

Moshe: My favorite pair of Jean we produced is our Skinny Zipper Pocket in Black Wax. It has such a great look and can be worn in so many different ways.

Eli: The biker, we have been shipping this biker look since the beginning of the trend...if you don't believe me research it.

10) How many pairs of jeans do you currently own and which are your favourites?

Moshe: I own about 6 pairs of jeans that I wear. They are all APC. I believe strongly in supporting the brands we love!

Eli: 4, thats all you need, all Dior Homme...great jeans, and relatively not seen in the street

11) Are you a "wash your jeans after each wear" person or a "wear your jeans for six months before you wash them" person?

Moshe: I'm a wear your jeans until you can no longer wear them and then wash them type of person.

Eli: I don't wash my jeans. When they start becoming super gross.... I spray them with Febreeze....

12) Do you own jeans for different occasions (for instance I have work jeans, smart jeans, weekend jeans, holiday jeans, jeans for going to concerts in, jeans for gardening in)

Moshe: Not really. I always wear the same pair of jeans for everything I do. This is what allows my jeans to really wear out and get that great color of worn denim.

Eli: Nope, not a believer of dressing up and dressing down, a man or woman should always dress their best while in public..period

13) Which is your favourite jeans shop?

Moshe: Well, since I always buy the same pair of Jeans I really don't venture out into finding new jeans. However, I do love Barney's New York.

Eli: None, the whole concept of a jeans shop is annoying!

14) Which celebs are currently wearing your jeans?

Moshe: Dont really know we send out a bunch of jeans everyday.

Eli: Not a fan of the whole tabloid magazine crave, we're more about editorial press.

15) How important big an effect does it have on your sales when a celeb is seen wearing a pair of your jeans?

Moshe: When a celeb wears our jeans it really changes everything. Press is a number one priority for us and having the right people wear our jeans is always a rewarding experience for us to know that we are doing our job.

Eli: Tremendous, but think about this for a second, when all celebs are wearing your jeans, your sales are great, what happens when they stop?

16) Who is your current favourite denim icon (male & female). I am thinking the person who has the most denim style?

Moshe: That's a hard question, but I'm going to go with Paul Newman. I think the denim industry is the way it is because of people before us that established the denim look.

Eli: Serge Gainsbourg

17) Which person living or dead would you most like to see in a pair of your jeans?

Moshe: Well since we only do Women's denim for now I would have to say Jane Birkin. She had a great style.

Eli: Kate Moss. She's dope.

18) What is the worst denim crime?

Moshe: Over embellished jeans, the kind that have too many embroideries and glitter. My favorite saying for glitter is " Glitter is the herpes of craft supplies". I think that says it best.

Eli: Bad fits and rhinestones

19) If jeans had not been invented, what would we all be wearing?

Moshe: Suits!!!! I always loved how people were getting dressed back in the 20's-40's.
Eli: Leaves.

20) And finally, any predictions for denim in 2009-10?

Moshe: I think people are going to be looking for more unique denim. I think everyone is a bit bored. More extreme washes and details will be the highlight of our denim closets.

Eli: Unflattering fits will start fading (boyfriends)

20) Why don't you sell mens jeans yet?

Eli: We are currently working on our men's line The concept is "Men's Essentials".

Moshe:We don't sell men's jeans yet because we have such a specific idea of our client-ale that we are planning our steps carefully. But expect to see it for Spring '10.

21) You both have great names. Who named you?

Eli: Our amazing parents. We're Jewish-French. We're proud of our heritage, our names reflect our heritage.

Moshe: My Parents. It was a crazy hard name in the US to pronounce so I'm glad people are starting to like it.

22) How did the name of your company come about?

Eli: My brother and I came to the conclusion that most really amazing and cool things are unknown. We decided to name the line 'Unknown'. Our concept was to start with jeans, but to grow into a duo known for making cool things, thus the factory.
Moshe: We liked underground names so I think Unknown was appropriate, eventually we just added the Factory part.

23) Where do we find you on the world wide web?

Moshe: Shopbop.com and Revolveclothing.com are our two biggest retailers on the web.

Jessie: 31/03/09