Babakul
All signs on Kym Gold-Lubell’s Babakul pants point to denim. There are long stay stitches, rivet hardware, bar-tack stitching and embroidered pockets. But Babakul is not a denim line. Gold-Lubell, who was the mastermind behind Bella Dahl and Hippie Jeans and co-founder of True Religion Brand Jeans, puts her denim expertise to use in different fabrications to provide another option for casual-denim lovers.
“It’s to offer a kind of soft dressing with denim-design aspects,” Gold-Lubell said. She describes her customer as “that sexy girl that’s wearing that sexy denim like I did at True Religion. [I’m] offering an alternative to denim. hellip; I think there’s so many educated consumers out there. They’re not only wanting denim.”
The bottoms-driven line includes wide-leg, slim-fit and straight-leg trouser cuts in suiting-like polyester/rayon/spandex blends and cotton twill fabrics. Gold-Lubell hasn’t completely ruled out denim; one lightweight denim group is designed with details that are more characteristic of trousers than typical jeans. On the top half, Gold-Lubell chose vests and jackets to complete the casual yet polished look.
“It’s a seasonless item,” said Gold-Lubell of the vests, for which stores such as Ron Herman and Theodore have already placed reorders. “It goes with trousers; it goes with denim. It’s like the icing on the cake for an outfit. It’s just a great accessory. I’m wearing my vest right now.”
Gold-Lubell added that Babakul may offer a knits line in the future to complete the collection, but for now, she is focusing on bottoms.
“I think there’s a huge saturation of knits, really great knits. I want to be the bottoms to those tops.”
Gold-Lubell originally launched the name Babakul, which is French slang for “hippie,” as a jewelry line in 2007. During that time, she was still consulting for True Religion and was the second largest shareholder in the company. She has since cut off her ties to True Religion and has sold all her shares. She said the jewelry line “did really well [but] my passion is clothing.”
Wholesale prices for pants and vests range from $82 to $92. For more information, call the Joanne Fiske Showroom, located in suite 1014 of the Cooper Design Space, at (213) 891-1131. —Rhea Cortado
