Designer Q&A - 18th Amendment
1) Why do you think after 200 years jeans are still one of the most popular items of clothing?
- Denim holds history, it's iconic. At various points in history jeans have made certain statements eg: for over a century they were workwear, the uniform of the working class. In the 50s they and 60s they represented anti-establishment rocker and beat cultures. Later on they were key in the punk rock movement. Jeans are the most versatile and durable of all wardrobe staples. They stand the test of time both physically and in our psyche. One can never underestimate the influence nostalgia has on what we wear.
2) Last time I counted there were over 50 brands of premium denim jeans, what makes your jeans stand out from the rest?
- 18th Amendment jeans have a fashion focus not shared by the majority of denim labels. Our fabrics, finishings and detailing also have a unique point of view in an overly generic denim market.
3) Who do you imagine is a typical customer?
- She knows what she's about; comfortable in her skin. She is popular culture aware and loves fashion but she's not a slave to it. Her sense of style is individual. She's not interested in fashion for the masses.
18th Amendment Lollobridgida Jean
4) Which style and wash of your jeans are flying out of the shops the quickest at the moment?
- In Europe and the UK it's the "Colbert" (high rise 70s flare) in both light vintage and darker washes. In australia it's the "Lollobrigida" (see above, high rise lean straight leg) in coated black denim or darker slightly worn indigo.
5) Where do you get your inspiration from?
- Anything and everywhere!: external influences such as popular culture, history, art, travelling, film, literature, subcultures in society ( past and present), icons (past and present). etc. Sometimes it's from within.. a desire to design one particular thing with no real rhyme or reason..
6) Are there any essential jeans that everyone should have in their wardrobe?
- A high-rise or true-waist jean in lean straight or wide straight leg.
A well-worn, faded pair of old basic jeans. manish or oversized.
An ultra skinny clean black or faded black jean
7) the first pair of jeans you remember?
- When I was about four or five i had a pair of 70's mid-blue flares with floral red braid along the hem. They were hot! my mum made them and my little sister had a straight leg pair with maroon floral cuffs. Same but different. I still have a photo of us in our jeans, sitting under the orange tree in the backyard.
8) What have been your favourite pair of jeans that you have owned?
- The pair that stick out most in my mind are my first pair of Levis 501s that I had in high school. They were the hottest thing in fashion at the time (along with Doc Martens!). I wore them until they were pale and threadbare, eventually cutting them into shorts before they finally left my wardrobe.
9) What have been your favourite pair of jeans that you have produced?
- The Lollobrigida because it is the style that launched us and put 18th Amendment on the radar. It's line and proportion of detailing is quite distinctive and nothing else out there is quite like it.
10) How many pairs of jeans do you currently own and which are your favourites?
- I probably have about 8 to 10 pairs on rotation at the moment.. Mostly I wear my oversized 18th Amendment 'Wiseguy' jeans with the relaxed straight leg mid/faded blue, 'Lollabrigida' (inky straight highrise) and my two pairs of 'West' shorts (Bogan short-shorts).. oh - and my Davis culotte shorts.
11) Are you a "wash your jeans after each wear" person or a "wear your jeans for six months before you wash them" person?
- Somewhere in between!
12) Do you own jeans for different occasions (for instance I have work jeans, smart jeans, weekend jeans, holiday jeans, jeans for going to concerts in, jeans for gardening in) if so what have you got?
- Not really, my personal style in chameleon-like so i could be wearing any pair at any moment really..
13) Which is your favourite jeans shop?
- As a space, I think the Tsubi concept stores are really clever
Sienna Miller in 18th Amendment Sedgwick Jeans
14) Which celebs are currently wearing your jeans?
- Jessica Stam, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sienna Miller, Mischa Barton.
16) Who is your current favourite denim icon (male & female).
- I am thinking the person who has the most denim style? Johnny Depp and Sophia Coppola. They both have effortless denim style.
17) Which character (male & female) from a movie had the most denim style?
- Marlon brando as Stanley Kowalski in 'A Street Car Named Desire' (1951) Marilyn Monroe on the set of 'The Misfits' (1961) she plays Roslyn Taber.
18) Which person living or dead would you most like to see in a pair of your jeans?
- Marilyn Monroe
19) If jeans had not been invented, what would we all be wearing?
- Moleskins? Drizabones? scary..
20) And finally, any predictions for denim in 2007?
- 1. A return to lighter, more worked/worn vintage denim after the raw denim domination of 2006
2. A move towards techno and treated denims. clean, modern.
3. Increasing influence of modern/futuristic cuts and sillhouttes, with a continuing focus on traditional and vintage elements of denim design.
Comments
I am sure jeans will always be a popular fashion. I own over 20 pairs in my closet.
Posted by: Orawin | February 11, 2007 3:34 PM