Designer Gives Peace a Chance
Most people will say they want peace in the world, but J. Gerard wants people to wear their convictions on their sleeves.
Gerard’s Clothing for Peace collection puts peace symbols on almost every section of clothing. There are peace symbols on the legs of her jeans, on her T-shirts and on the mesh material covering the derriere of her “Peace Ass” dress.
While world peace is a yet-unfulfilled wish, the designer said it has made for good business at her J. Gerard Design Studio store and showroom in West Hollywood, Calif. But she said she did not make the clothes for money and made no estimate as to how much her business grew after the introduction of the collection on Nov. 20, 2001, shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.
Days after the attacks, she sewed the symbol on T-shirts, and tourists of both genders began snatching them up. Among her local clientele, however, the collection is appealing only to women. “Testosterone does not buy peace,” she said of her Los Angeles demographic.
Her obsession with the peace icon has grown. She leased the 1,000- square-foot space adjacent to her existing store to open a peace gallery, dedicated to objets d’art incorporating the peace sign. Gerard also sells the Couture for Peace collection, which grew out of the 20-year-old J. Gerard line, featuring upscale silk and velvet sportswear and eveningwear.
The Couture for Peace collection’s price points range from $225 to $1,725. Clothing for Peace’s custom T-shirts range from $45 to $275. Gerard wholesales the collection to 110 boutiques nationwide.
Twenty-five percent of Gerard’s business is rooted in recycled denim. She sews details such as peace signs and zippers to her jeans and gives them a “dirty wash.”
Gerard said the peace sign is one brand that will not get stale.
“It’s an icon,” she said. “It’s only a trend if the designer is trendy.” —Andrew Asch
