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SFI Introduces a Denim-Fantasy Capsule Suitable for a California Daydream

Photos courtesy of SFI

Fresh off its launch earlier this year, the denim factory Star Fades International released its Denim Daydream capsule, the first collection since the Artistic Milliners–backed business opened in Los Angeles. With a dream team comprising denim veterans including Vice President of Design Alaina Miller, formerly of Citizens of Humanity, and AG and Senior Technical Designer Amber Isaac, who was formerly with Lucky Brand and Guess, SFI was able to deliver a collection that speaks to the timeless qualities of vintage styles and the resiliency of premium-denim pieces.

“I have been lucky to work with some of the most notable L.A. brands,” Miller said. “We’re in L.A. It’s a fashion city. It’s a denim city. A lot of the population, regardless of the neighborhood they live in, are wearing vintage Levi’s. Denim is a lifestyle. People are wearing jeans to work in most industries—not just creative professionals.”

When building the collection, SFI sought to develop pieces that met the Artistic Milliners standards for sustainability. This important tenet of SFI’s mission is at the core of its work. Through utilizing 3D design tools, for which it relies on the Browzwear platform, the SFI process was able to reduce the amount of samples by relying on virtual fittings.

“We were able to host virtual fittings [on the 3D avatar], where [Miller] would give me her tech pack in a very traditional sense. She would give me the sketches, we would talk about it—the body length, aesthetic. Then I would go to my computer and start building the patterns,” Isaac explained. “She has a very firm grasp on her specs, which is so amazing, so when she says, ‘½ an inch’ and I move it ½ an inch, it’s good.”

Pieces for the collection were cut and sewn in Pakistan prior to arriving at the wash in Los Angeles. With clear communication between SFI and its Karachi, Pakistan, parent company, Miller and Isaac credit the expertise of the Artistic Milliners team in addition to the capabilities of its technology to create precise designs that perfectly reflected the designers’ vision.

“When we started off with our project, we already had our fit model chosen so I was able to morph and change some of the dimensions of our avatar on the 3D software so that it mimicked very closely to our fit model,” Isaac said. “What we were looking at on screen was a pretty close representation of our actual, physical fit model.”

The SFI reliance on virtual tools will continue, as Isaac notes the design capabilities and efficiency of 3D options—and other advanced technology—align perfectly with the company’s sustainable mission.

“At SFI, we’re constantly looking at how we can use technology to achieve our sustainability goals,” Isaac said. “Our vision for 3D is we are going to expand to augmented reality, virtual reality and beyond.”

The Los Angeles denim spirit was the foundation for the collection, from wash to a campaign filled with nods to the wonder of the city. Shot in Los Angeles’ Elysian Park, the Denim Daydream campaign speaks to the city’s denim heritage with a vintage appeal in both men’s and women’s pieces. There are also modern approaches that afford a more-responsible denim for some of the fabrics through post-consumer and post-industrial waste and washes that bypass pumice stone and potassium permanganate without sacrifing aesthetics.

“For the capsule, we really just wanted to highlight all the amazing things we’re capable of doing here at SFI in partnership with Artistic Milliners for people interested in working with us,” Miller said. “We hope to inspire whether that be through fit and silhouette, wash, or fiber. If we can get designers interested in using fabrics with sustainable attributes and washing in cleaner ways, then we’ve achieved our goal.”