California Apparel News

Before influencers and social media, fashion brands took to old-fashioned television advertising with taglines and jingles. And one of them, Sasson, entered the pop-culture lexicon with the French motto “OO-LA-LA—Sasson!”

Whether the phrase makes a return remains to be seen, but the denim brand is back thanks to a collaboration with Johnny Was released last month. The California Apparel News caught up with Paul Guez, who founded Sasson in 1976 and is presently based in Los Angeles, and Rob Trauber, CEO of Johnny Was, to welcome back the iconic brand and get a sense for what’s in store.

    Rob Trauber
  

CAN: How did the collaboration and Sasson relaunch come about?

RT: Paul and his private-label company were helping us with denim, and, since he still holds the IP for Sasson, over lunch we started talking and thought it would be amazing to bring it back. If you Google “top denim brands of all time,” it’s still in the top 10 and is still referenced in pop culture going all the way back to Elton John. And since our bohemian vibe comes from the ’70s as well, both brands coming together just seemed like a really cool opportunity. Paul was ready to bring it back, so the stars just aligned.

CAN: Paul, what are your plans from here?

PG: I knew you would ask! Honestly, my priority is to find a way to continue to work together with Rob and Johnny Was and to continue to be creative. Perhaps even doing wholesale as long as everybody’s happy.

    Paul Guez
  

CAN: What was the goal from a design perspective?

PG: Our three-pocket jean was very famous at the time, with a watch pocket in the front and two pockets in the back with the omega sign, red label and white stitching. The goal was to keep the iconic element people remember but modernize it. And for a younger customer who’s never heard of Sasson, her mother will tell her because we did so many TV commercials.

RT: Back then Sasson jeans were known for being really tight and hard to get on so we added some stretch, but we stayed away from baggy and distressed trends and kept it clean. It features a straight flare cut we thought would resonate, and the initial buzz has been really strong.

CAN: And the rest of the collection?

RT: From our archives we pulled out vintage tops from the ’90s and added Italian leather and suede coats and made the collection very cool and hip for today so the head-to-toe look would resonate with our customer.

CAN: What do you consider to be on-trend about the collection, and what is counter-trend?

PG: At the time, the reason Sasson was so successful was we had about 12 fabrics used to make the same jean. The beauty now is you can have that—all the organic and beautiful fibers being used right now—and be very contemporary.

CAN: Tell us about the marketing campaign, which has great visuals.

RT: We’ve focused on an outdoor billboard campaign in L.A. and New York and sent out 1.3 million beautiful catalogs. Johnny Was is a pretty big resort brand, so to shoot in downtown New York in Tribeca with photographer Boo George was different and cool for us. A lot of people know model Lily Aldridge from her Victoria’s Secret days, and now she’s 38 and a mom and carries that chic vibe with a bohemian aesthetic. She’s happy, and the whole ethos of both brands is joy—“sasson” even means happiness in Hebrew. This collaboration is definitely radical optimism.

CAN: In closing, Paul, what is your favorite memory from the ’70s?

PG: Studio 54 was very hot at the time, and we were there every night and had some shows there. It was a magical time.