DC X BEN DAVIS
Workwear Meets Streetwear
The raw denim used in the 80-year-old workwear brand Ben Davis will make way for a contemporary ease of movement, and the mix of tough and loose will be featured in the capsule collection DC x Ben Davis, said Michael Le, global head of product, DC Apparel at DC Shoes. The collection took a bow in July, and its Spring ’16 line was introduced at the Agenda trade show in Long Beach, Calif., which ran July 8–9.
“We wanted to make sure that we kept their aesthetic,” Le said of Ben Davis’ workwear styles, which have been worn by generations of construction workers and, since the 1980s, popular hip-hop groups, including members of N.W.A. and the Beastie Boys. “It was going to be workwear-related, but it would keep skate culture.”
Le grew up in Southern California, but he spoke from DC Apparel’s offices in Biarritz, France, where DC’s global design offices are based along with those of sibling brands Quiksilver and Roxy. DC started business in San Diego in 1994. It was acquired by Huntington Beach, Calif.–based Quiksilver Inc. a decade later.
The capsule collection DC x Ben Davis bears the iconic smiling gorilla logo of the Ben Davis brand adjacent to the letters DC, the logo of DC Apparel, on its eight apparel styles and one style of footwear.
In 2014, Le and his team visited the San Francisco offices of the Ben Davis label to view the company’s archives. The DC team was inspired by the brand’s 1990s looks. The era also celebrates the decade when DC Shoes first gained popularity as a brand favored by skateboarders.
The DC team used a “robust” fabric for the collaboration’s pants and jackets, but it did not have the thickness of the classic Ben Davis items. The classic Ben Davis silhouettes were given more-contemporary fits but were given enough room to offer an ease of movement for skating. The capsule collection also scales down the oversized Ben Davis pockets.
The jackets will bear a rigid twill and have a “blanket” lining for insulation. Retail price points will range from $24 to $99. Le forecast that the collaboration will be sold at DC’s retail partners. Expect more DC x Ben Davis collections. Le said that his label is designing more looks and styles for the collaboration.
