California Apparel News

Chip and Pepper Foster describe their Chip & Pepper line as “California fresh.” But after more than three years in the upper echelon of premium denim, how do they retain that freshness?

By launching an entirely new sportswear collection, expanding the Chip & Pepper University (CPU) line, opening boutiques, expanding the denim line with new fits, and launching a children’s collection—all with the same laid-back California vibe. The cohesiveness of the brand remains top priority, with each new angle complementing the others.

“We’re essentially growing from one to four lines in the course of a season,” said Becky Vieira, global communications director for Los Angeles–based Chip & Pepper. “But we’re ready for it; we’ve been working hard and gearing up internally. We could have licensed out our sportswear and children’s collection and brought it to market last year,” she said. “But it was important to us to create it all in-house.”

The new sportswear line puts an emphasis on comfort with vintage-inspired looks, soft fabrics and relaxed fits. Styles for men include casual twill cargo shorts, plaid shorts and pants, oversize plaid western shirts, polo shirts, and tees with “sassy graphics.” Women’s pieces range from flirty tops and floral dresses to distressed sweats and ripstop pants. “The Spring ’07 Sportswear collection is derived from a beach culture—kind of this free-styling vibe of the late ’70s, early ’80s,” explained Chip Foster.

The sportswear line wholesales for $28–$101 and retails for $63–$228. It has caught the attention of buyers from Lisa Kline Men, Planet Blue, Fred Segal and Octane. “When buyers from your top accounts wrap up their meetings saying, ’I can’t wait to wear this piece,’ you know you’ve done well,” Vieira said.

Back to school

The CPU line of university tees and sweats also has several new styles for Spring ’07. The company has exclusive agreements with universities, so a lot of the graphics are from school vaults.

Silhouettes for women include the deep V-neck “Peabody Polo,” the “Strappy Tank,” a scoop-neck style with cap sleeves, and ringer tees. The men’s line features raglans, striped polos, and pocket and ringer tees. There are CPU tees for children as well. The line wholesales for $18–$36 and retails for $41–$81.

“There is honestly nothing like it on the market, except maybe true vintage pieces,” Chip Foster said.

“We spent years perfecting the fabric,” added Pepper Foster. “When you pick one up, it is so soft. The heather grays have an almost see-through sheen in some areas. You can’t tell the difference between these and true vintage. Sometimes those smell funny, so you will probably still want a CPU shirt!”

The new divisions and collections are part of an ongoing evolution for the brand. Two years ago, the company started incorporating Italian and Japanese denim in the line and saw that as an opportunity to make technical changes and re-engineer the jeans.

The new wave of fits for Holiday 2006 feature contoured waistbands cut on the bias (allowing the fabric to give in places such as the hips without gapping in the back); strategically positioned asymmetrical back pockets; and noticeably lightweight stretch fabrics in new washes.

“Stella” is the first new style added to the core women’s collection since 2003. The Spring ’07 fashion denim line is a stylish array of shorts, overalls, skirts and dresses. Core and fashion denim lines wholesale from $42 to $112 and retail from $95 to $252.

Above all else, the new denim pieces retain the vintage feel that Chip & Pepper is known for. “From the start, we wanted to recreate the look and feel of vintage denim with modern cuts to fit today’s styles,” said Pepper Foster. “But overall, we are booking our own ticket here; we do our own thing. We design our own hardware and develop our own fabrics with the mills.”

Retail plans

This fall, Chip & Pepper will open a retail boutique at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, Calif., and it plans to open five additional retail stores over the next year. The boutiques will echo the modern feel of the first flagship store in New York’s NoLita district, but it also will reflect a SoCal vibe with a clean Zen feel.

Additionally, Chip & Pepper will soon launch a full e-commerce site (www.chipandpepper.com), which will feature the entire line, preview new collections, offer style tips and include an event calendar for Chip and Pepper Foster. (The brothers make numerous public appearances and often appear on Extra, E! and The Style Network.)

“If you look at the direction a lot of other denim companies are heading in, you can tell that’s just not us. We just don’t care what the masses do,” Chip Foster said. “You have to be true to yourself, to your instincts and designs. That makes our line so different, so us.”

For more information, contact Jim Duval at (323) 583-8817.