Designer Q & A - Lou Doillon For Lee Cooper
1) Why do you think after 200 years jeans are still one of the most popular items of clothing?
Jeans were made because a very practical reasons, because people were looking for something easy to wash, a fabric that could have cuffs rolled up and not fall (practical), and that technically didn’t need any form maintenance.
2) Last time I counted there were over 50 brands of premium denim jeans, what makes your jeans stand out from the rest?
The cuts and shapes of the clothes are different because they were inspired by my unique family and what they wore. The designs are very close to the girl I am designing for, I am a common girl who loves to shop and buy clothes. I understand their desire to make their look their own and to be able to add their own touches to an outfit....my range benefits from Lee Cooper’s unique deal with Invista to use XFIT LYCRA ® denim, it offers a 360 degree fit and the fabric gives exceptional fit and comfort.
3) Who do you imagine is a typical customer?
Someone who shares the same quirky attitude to dressing as I do. She is young and has a different way of looking at fashion and clothes. She is not inspired by fashion magazines and likes to make a look her own.
4) Where do you get your inspiration from?
The Artful Dodger, Oliver Dickens and strong women!
5) Are there any essential jeans that everyone should have in their wardrobe?
Basic straight, basic slim, basic mini shorts
6) What are the first pair of jeans you remember?
I remember the Lee Cooper jeans that my mother modelled for them in the 70s. And I remember a bikini that she used to wear that she made out of patch-work denim.
7) Which style and wash of your jeans are flying out of the shops the quickest at the moment?
The Malorys Dungarees
8) What has been your favourite pair of jeans that you have owned?
A pair of shorts, I’ve had for a long time!
9) What has been your favourite pair of jeans that you have produced?
I wore the Dodger shorts in the campaign and the long leg version at my launch in London and I am torn between the two styles, I love them both.
11) Are you a "wash your jeans after each wear" person or a "wear your jeans for six months before you wash them" person?
None of the jeans I designed have a wash on them because I wanted the wearer to be able to make them her own, for the jeans to develop their own creases and wear-and-tear marks. I am definitely a ‘wear your jeans for six months before you wash them’ girl. I like the lived-in look.
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?
I don’t dress for occasions I dress to suit my moods. I can be dressed up for gardening and dressed down for a ball; it depends on how I feel.
13) Which is your favourite jeans shop?
Lee Cooper of course!
14) Which celebs are currently wearing your jeans?
I designed a pair with Amy Winehouse in mind and I hope she will wear them
15) How big an effect does it have on your sales when a celeb is seen wearing a pair of your jeans?
I will let you know when Amy is photographed in the pair I am going to send her!
16) Who is your current favourite denim icon (male & female). I am thinking the person who has the most denim style?
My father
17) Which character (male & female) from a movie had the most denim style?
Bob Marley
18) Which person living or dead would you most like to see in a pair of your jeans?
Theroigne de méricourt (a female revolutionary)
19) If jeans had not been invented, what would we all be wearing?
Fig leaves.
20) And finally, any predictions for denim in 2008?
Denim is here to stay.
