Jainesse: Taking Denim to New Heights
For Jaycia Gayle, designing her premium denim line, Jainesse, is a dream come true. The former retail sales associate for Ron Herman and Nordstrom created her line of high-waisted jeans, jumpsuits and jackets after her father suggested starting a family business. “It’s always been a dream of mine,” said Jamaicanborn Gayle. The name of the line, pronounced “J and S,” stands for her first initial and that of her 3-year-old daughter, Sayen, for whom she says she is building the business.
Gayle said she is interested in designing whatever is the current missing link in fashion. “I love to dress a woman who has imagination,” she said. The line, inspired by 1930s and 1970s styles, is extremely feminine and accentuates a woman’s curves. Gayle said she wants women to look like women rather than boys, an effect created by low-waisted denim jeans. The line, made of imported denim, answers the current fashion demand for higher waists and darker, cleaner washes with design details including belts and contrasting stitching. The collection includes three different high-waisted jeans and one low-rise jean, a “Charlie’s Angels”–type belted jumpsuit, and a military-styled four-pocket belted jacket.
Fabrics are made of cotton with 1 percent to 11/2 percent Lycra to maintain the support and rigidity of the garments. Styles are also available in deconstructed, vintage and bleached washes. Wholesale prices are $72–$86 for jeans, $122 for the jumpsuit and $104 for the jacket. The line, already in Ron Herman in Los Angeles, will officially launch when deliveries arrive at stores the second week of November. Jainesse has also been picked up by Atrium in New York and Sharon Segal at Fred Segal in Santa Monica, Calif. The line also includes three different vintage washed T-shirts with Jamaican-inspired artwork including national symbols such as the ackee fruit and a hummingbird known as the “Doctor Bird.” Gayle plans to expand the line into a contemporary collection and, within the next year, launch a men’s denim line.
For more information, visit the Belle showroom in the Cooper Design Space, suite 220, or call (213) 623-6743.
—N. Jayne Seward
