California Apparel News

Premium-denim manufacturers put an innovative spin on tried-and-true trends.

It’s no secret that fashion is cyclical. But in the world of premium denim, fresh takes on old trends are almost always better than the originals, thanks to innovations in fabric, washes and fits. For Spring 2009, some of the top names in the denim market focused on perfecting existing trends while exploring some new ideas. Even given the current economic climate, the new collections prove to be enticing and exciting to buyers and consumers alike. Not just blue jeans

Colored denim certainly isn’t new, but the vast palette of denim offerings for Spring ’09 suggests that this trend will continue. The focus now seems to be on offering a range of beautifully colored denim, some with an ever-so-slightly worn, vintage look.

Joie Rucker, co-owner and designer of Rich & Skinny, is no stranger to the colored-denim market. For Spring ’09, the brand offers neon shades to brighten what Rucker considers to be “gloomy” economic times.

“We are trying to lighten the load by bringing color that is bright, vibrant and optimistic—and we highlighted its brilliance with light tones of worn-in yarn-dyed gray,” she says. “Neons are in yellow, blue and pink, but the new angle on this color is that this neon has a comfortable look and feel.”

Skinny seems to remain the fit of choice for the colored-denim look. “The colored skinny jeans were a fun trend to jump on,” says David Lim, creative director of Kasil, speaking of the brand’s new pastel-hued Gumball collection. “This is a trend that we feel will carry on strong through Spring. The pastels were inspired by sweets, such as cotton candy, green apple, strawberry, etc., to conjure up an idea of wearing colors to have fun and be playful.”

AG Design Director Samuel Ku agrees that colored denim will continue to be fashionable. For Spring ’09, AG offers a palette of tulip red, sunshine yellow, sky blue, soft lavender and baby pink and applies its “AG-ed” process (used on the brand’s vintage jeans) to make the colored denim look worn-in and used. The brand is also offering cut-off, lightweight corduroy shorts in green, pink and blue.

While J Brand is known for its sleek, simple skinny silhouettes in deeply saturated indigos, the label is also bringing a soft pinkish hue, dubbed “blush,” to the Spring denim market. The label’s signature crop, pencil and cigarette jeans will be offered in this color, as will the popular wide-leg “Marrakesh” and “Monroe” styles. Lighten up

“Lightweight denim is fantastic,” says Susie Crippen, co-founder of J Brand. “It is amazing what two ounces can do in the warmer months. We use two different fabrics, and both have T-400, a polyester fiber with great recovery characteristics.”

Renowned lightweight-denim pioneer AG continues its focus on this ultra-comfy fabrication for Spring ’09 with the premiere of a fabric that utilizes the Dow Chemical Company’s XLA Technology. Made in Japan, AG’s Burke denim is being offered in the cult favorite “Angel,” “Kiss,” “Stilt,” “Legend” and “Premiere” styles. The world’s first olefin-based elastic fiber, Dow XLA allows for wet processing of denim without compromising stretch and recovery. “Burke denim is great because it is a lightweight fabric in a broken twill construction, which has a lot of give and is very comfortable for the wearer,” Ku explains. “Plus, XLA is very resistant to bleach and high temperatures, which allows us to apply a wider variety of wash techniques.”

Sarah Durante, North America Brand Manager at Dow, adds: “Previously, designers were limited in the types of destructive finishes [resins, bleaching, etc.] that they could perform on denim with other types of stretch because the stretch component simply breaks down in that environment. Plus, XLA is typically only 2 to 6 percent [based on a one-way stretch or two-way stretch] of the garment content, so the denim retains its authentic cotton touch.”

XLA is making quite a splash on the denim scene. New fabrications for Fall 2008 from Paige Premium Denim, Red Engine and GoldSign are already in stores, and Citizens of Humanity is following suit for Holiday 2008, as is Seven For All Mankind for Spring.

While not utilizing XLA, Kasil also is dipping into lightweight denim. Blue jeans come in the 9- to 10-ounce range, and the Gumball skinny collection weighs in at 7.5 ounces. The brand also created a small collection of skirts, rompers and overalls in 5- to 9-ounce cotton that have the look and feel of linen “minus the bad wrinkling,” Lim says.

“We tossed around a concept of floating and lighter-than-air denim, and we went full force into lightweight fabrics for Spring,” he says. “We want women to feel very comfortable and have denim that transitions well into the warmer months.”

Rucker of Rich & Skinny used lightweight denim for the new season, too. “Our Psychedelic Denim is an Italian ring, 2x1, 7.5-ounce denim, with all of the character and softness one could want,” she says.

Lana Cretz, co-designer of the denim label Found, is also a fan of this trend. “We are using two lightweight denims this Spring,” she says. “One is a 100 percent Pima cotton that we carried over from Fall, and the other is a cotton/spandex denim with a bit of poly. It has great stretch recovery. Both denims have a really soft hand and a nice drape.”Fresh cuts

Silhouettes come in a truly great mix—from wide-leg to stovepipe and everything in between. Ku says the straight leg is more popular for AG than the wide leg or skinny. But according to most, skinny still reigns supreme. J Brand co-founder Jeff Rudes says skinny holds the No. 1 spot, with straight following close behind.

Designers Crete and Sara Watson of Found Denim echo this sentiment. “Generally, our ’Symons’ skinny and ’Juliette’ high-waist skinny have been our most popular styles, but our ’Blythe’ straight leg has been gaining a lot of momentum in the past few months. It’s very flattering on every body type,” Watson says.

Michael Ball, founder and creative director of Rock & Republic, says he “focused on strong lines combined with bar-code–printed leggings, bright-white and smooth-black skinny jeans” for Spring ’09. “It’s all about black, white and tight, with tailored jackets paired with skinny jeans or sleek leggings,” he says.

Stephenson Denim Refinery gained recognition for leading the market in denim novelty, but in light of the current economic uncertainty, designer and owner Amy Tsirbas Stephenson has focused on five-pocket jeans—“luxe basics that have our signature tomboy-chic appeal,” she explains.

“After a lackluster romp at retail with the wide leg, we brought back skinny, boot-cut and straight-leg jeans,” she says.

Evidently, Stephenson is onto something with the tomboy focus, as many denim denizens—among them, Current/Elliot, Rich & Skinny, AG and Built By Wendy—are offering slouchy boyfriend fits and getting a great response.

Found denim offers a well-edited, edgy collection that boasts fashion silhouettes like “The Aberdeen,” an exaggerated drop-crotch trouser that fits into the relaxed, boyfriend-fit category.

Rucker of Rich & Skinny, who designed boyfriend-fit jeans and shorts for Spring ’09, offers insight into this trend: “The emerging boyfriend trend has obviously sprung up from a psychological need for comfort and a romantic attachment to vintage culture, a kinder, more abundant time.”

Rich & Skinny’s “Boyfriend” jean comes in various tones of indigo and in washed-down gray and sports patches and handmade repair details for extra character. “We even figured out how to fit this relaxed jean so that your butt still looks great even with the super-easy, vintage look,” Rucker says.

While the skinny jean is still a top seller for J Brand, Rudes and Crippen are unafraid to step outside that box. “We wanted to have things a bit more relaxed for Spring [with] looser-fitting legs with a great shape and a few knee-length options for warmer weather,” Crippen says.