Designer Q & A - Ijin Material
1) Why do you think after 200 years jeans are still one of the most popular items of clothing?
- Jeans & the wearing of denim has always had interesting socio-political significance & anti-styling associations from post-war demob delinquency to seventies skinhead sharp.They have always been something of a frontline item. Despite the greater acceptance of denim as an everyday fabric today , jeans still manage to be edgey & subversive if they choose to be , aswell as being trainspotter exclusive.
2) Last time I counted there were over 50 brands of premium denim jeans, what makes your jeans stand out from the rest?
- Ijin material is a totally original product with an innovative approach to creating hand-made denim. The fundamental label philosophy is cutting legs in one single piece & folding them onto the body shape. Ijin material deliberately makes denim product with the clear intention of presenting the classic item in an alternative way. It is also an independent label & self financed ( - "ijin " means "outsider " or " alien" in vintage japanese.)
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Designer Q & A - Deener Denim
1) Why do you think after 200 years jeans are still one of the most popular items of clothing?
- Jeans are durable, casual, dressy, sexy, and comfortable all rolled up into one. Also they are the eternal uniform of youth and so I think denim continues to be important for all ages since everyone wants to feel eternally young.
2) Last time I counted there were over 50 brands of premium denim jeans, what makes your jeans stand out from the rest?
- In such a very saturated denim market I believe deener brings to the table more of a full denim collection as apposed to just being another line of jeans. Taking denim fabric and incorporating into classic fashion silhouettes including dresses and outerwear amongst other fashion ideas brings the denim fabric into a new realm of woven collections. The jeans themselves are sophisticated with an edgy twist. It’s about a classic & clean look with details meant to be noticed by the person wearing the clothes as opposed to a look that is screaming to be noticed by everyone else. It’s a brand you can mix into your wardrobe and it’s easy for your personal style & personality to show through.
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Designer Q & A - Genetic Denim
Jessica Simpson in Genetic Denim True Leggings in Zinc
This week's Designer Q&A is with Ali Fatourechi, Creative Director of Genetic Denim.
1) Why do you think after 200 years jeans are still one of the most popular items of clothing?
- Jeans are the only article of clothing that transcends seasons and borders, it’s timeless.
2) Last time I counted there were over 50 brands of premium denim jeans, what makes your jeans stand out from the rest?
- For me it’s all about fabrication and fit and really understanding the shapes and contours of different body types. We use fabrics from all over the world for specific styles taking into account how it will mold to a silhouette. I feel other denim brands answer to their jeans not fitting is to go up a size. I spent one year traveling the country going to 42 cities in search of the perfect fitting jean. The one thing I can say with the utmost certainty is that everyone is different in shape and size so instead of telling my customers to go up a size I designed the Recessive Gene for the slender girl and the Dominant Gene for the curvier girl. We separate ourselves by looking at a men’s and women’s silhouette and making jeans based on my research and how I saw 26,000 people try on different pairs of jeans.
3) Who do you imagine is a typical customer?
- A confident customer that’s secure in his/her own skin. The name Genetic and the concept adhere to women’s and men’s genetic composition that makes them unique in this world, and that’s what truly sets everyone apart. I go from basic to fashion pieces it just depends on how that person is feeling at that specific moment when choosing what to wear. It’s about the person not the clothes.
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Designer Q & A - Atelier La Durance
This week's Designer Q & A is with Gerard Backx, Founder of Atelier La Durance.
1) Why do you think after 200 years jeans are still one of the most popular
items of clothing?
- Well I would say that it is to do with the functionality of the fabric. That's why people started using it and that's why people are still wearing it now.
2) Last time I counted there were over 50 brands of premium denim jeans, what makes your jeans stand out from the rest?
- I had not thought of the jeans in those terms. The jeans just came about from my own hobby and I make things that I like.
3) Who do you imagine is a typical customer?
- I know that the jeans are bought by a cross section of old and young. I sold them through my store in the first place just to see if, and who would like them.
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Designer Q & A - Evisu
1) Why do you think after 200 years jeans are still one of the most popular items of clothing?
- Jeans haven't always been popular, but have evolved over time. They were once strictly work wear worn by people who needed clothes that would not fall apart and would withstand physical labor. They were then adopted by American youth as a bold anti-establishment icon, and then later have gone through every conceivable fashion genre from catwalk to grunge and everything in between. On top of all that you can get jeans in countless washes, colors, and finishes. You could argue that its more to do with the versatility of denim as a clothing fabric as oppose to the popularity of the 5 pocket.
2) Last time I counted there were over 50 brands of premium denim jeans, what makes your jeans stand out from the rest?
- We have a saying at Evisu which is "Before anyone did anything, Evisu did everything". This refers to our origins in 1988 when our founder Hidehiko Yamane was inspired by the beauty of vintage jeans, but unable to buy new jeans that had the same quality. Since then, Evisu has pioneered countless unique approaches to denim, styles, and washes, and has always remained an important part of the business, which has been done years before any of the other premium jeans brands were started. Evisu stands out for this commitment to quality and innovation, which is something a lot of the other brands are just mimicking.
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Designer Q & A - Radcliffe Denim
1) Why do you think after 200 years jeans are still one of the most popular items of clothing?
- I think Denim is such an iconic and versatile fabric that it can just keep re-inventing itself. At least every decade it is used in a totally different way - just think 10 years ago the concept of premium denim did not even exist.
2) Last time I counted there were over 50 brands of premium denim jeans, what makes your jeans stand out from the rest?
- Many jeans brands are approaching denim in a traditional 'california lifestyle' approach. I was bored and tired of endless blue, boot cut jeans and wanted something different - something more refined. Being British, Radcliffe comes at Denim from a totally different perspective. Our background is in traditional Savile Row tailoring - so while we are obsessed with denim we use it in a very unexpected way - for instance our Denim Trafalgar trench coat is a very traditional tailored coat but cut in one of the most innovative denims it is transformed into something very contemporary
3) Who do you imagine is a typical customer?
- Radcliffe is for a very modern woman, who is very confident in her style. She appreciates luxury and impeccable fitting clothes - but loves the energy and attitude of denim.
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