Designer Q & A - Rifle Jeans
1) Why do you think after 200 years jeans are still one of the most popular items of clothing?
Denim is unparalleled by any other fabric in its durability. You can wear it for a year without washing it. If it soils it adds to the character. If it tears, even better. There is something about having an item of clothing that gets more unique and comfortable with age. There is such beauty in that phenomenon, like the beauty in a scarred wrinkled face of an old person or the cracks and crazes in an old piece of china, telling a life’s journey and history with every mark. The color indigo is another reason for our unending love affair with jeans. Indigo blue mirrors the sky and the ocean. It gives us the same sense of infinity and instills a sense of calmness.
In our time denim has become a fetish, a symbol of rebellion and an icon of the counterculture revolution that each generation goes through. It has thereby secured a future beyond its already attractive attributes. At present, no time is foreseeable when denim will not be in fashion. At the least, it will always be an important part of fashion history.
2) Last time I counted there were over 50 brands of premium denim jeans, what makes your jeans stand out from the rest?
I like to quote Carmen Miranda, when asked that question. She once said, with the best sense of humor, "Bananas is my business," which she happened to be wearing on her head. Rifle is to denim what Miranda was to Bananas. The company has been making jeans since 1958. This is the third generation of a family business, and along with Levis, Lee and Wrangler, Rifle has pioneered denim fashion unfailingly over the years. We understand how to construct them and deconstruct them.
Super Rifle, the premium line, is made using only the best Italian fabrics and highest quality trims. We offer a wide range of excellent fits and a large variety of beautiful washes. Every detail is minutely thought out and executed. The same attention is paid to the inside finish of the garment, as to the outside.
3) Who do you imagine is a typical customer?
Like most designers I imagine an ideal. That person would be young and sexy with a beautiful and perfectly proportioned body. But I don’t actually think that there is such a thing as a typical customer. I have seen young girls wearing my jeans and looking stellar and I have also seen mature woman with kids looking equally good and sexy in them. I think it is a question of body type and shape more than anything else. But what is most important to me is that the person wearing my jeans will feel terrific, whatever their age, body type or lifestyle.
4) Where do you get your inspiration from?
My inspiration comes mostly from the street. But really nothing is save or sacred. One of my inspirations this season came from a painting; a triptych by Memling which I saw in Bruges, depicting a man in an indigo dyed hose. Another inspiration I took from a paper wrapper of a sardine can, which I bought in Florence.
5) Which style and wash of your jeans are flying out of the shops the quickest at the moment?
We have a cuffed, 36 inseam, slim straight leg, called "BERRY" (see above) in the stores that is by far the best seller. The fabric is an 11oz Selvage Denim from Japan. It is a dark indigo, resin coated denim. The wash is raw with a few strategically baked 3D whiskers and just the slightest touch of brushing at the back yoke, front pocket facings and on some of the whiskers.
6) Are there any essential jeans that everyone should have in their wardrobe?
I think everyone should have at one pair of really dark jeans. You can dress them up or down.
7) What are the first pair of jeans you remember?
The one pair I can remember, because it is still in my closet, was a pair of Blue System jeans by Jet Set. I have had them since I was 14 years old. They are a light wash with a green casted indigo and actually still fit me. Well, let me rephrase that. I can still get into them and button the top button.
8) What have been your favourite pair of jeans that you have owned?
My all time favourite jeans are a pair by Katherine Hamnett. They are a 5pkt jean in blue velvet with the most amazing fit.
9) What have been your favourite pair of jeans that you have produced?
My favorite pair is a Super Rifle Cabin, a slim Bootcut, made in jet black 12oz Ringspun selvage denim, raw with light crackling wash details.
10) How many pairs of jeans do you currently own and which are your favourites?
I honestly could not tell you - maybe 300 or 400 pairs? My favorite right now, is the Berry in the coated selvage mentioned earlier. I have that same jean in several sizes. Depending on my mood and on the occasion I’ll wear them fitted or I might wear them a size or two up.
11) Are you a "wash your jeans after each wear" person or a "wear your jeans for six months before you wash them" person?
If it’s a raw jean I’ll wait to wash them for as long as it is possible. If it’s a denim that already has been washed down then I just wash them when they are dirty or when I want them to shrink back to their original shape.
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?
No I’ll wear the same jeans anywhere. I will just change my sneakers to a dress shoe. However, I would never wear a light or baggy jean to the opera or to a fancy dinner.
13) Which is your favourite jeans shop?
My favorite store in the US is "The Denim Bar" in Arlington, Virginia. Mauro Farinelli, the owner, has an amazing taste level and is the most passionate and knowledgeable denim buyer I have yet to meet. I also like 14ounce in Florence a lot.
14) Which celebs are currently wearing your jeans?
Power, RZA and Ace from Wu Tang
15) How important big an effect does it have on your sales when a celeb is seen wearing a pair of your jeans?
It has a tremendous and measurable success when a celebrity is spotted wearing your jeans . What can be better than to get an endorsement from someone in the public eye who looks sexy in your jeans? It creates a buzz both at the wholesale and the retail level. It is one of the ways to get noticed in the ever growing sea of competitors out there making jeans. In the end though what matters is the product. It has to look good, fit and have its own identity. You want that customer to keep coming back to your brand well after their favorite celebrity has been spotted wearing your jeans.
Jennifer Aniston In Generra Jeans
16) Who is your current favourite denim icon (male & female). I am thinking the person who has the most denim style?
Jennifer Aniston, as you know, wore a pair of jeans I worked on for Generra (see above). She is still my favorite but not just because of that.
17) Which character (male & female) from a movie had the most denim style?
I liked Kate Hudson in Almost Famous and Peter Fonda in Easy Rider.
18) Which person living or dead would you most like to see in a pair of your jeans?
Hands down Jennifer Beals, I have always wanted to dress her, ever since I saw Flashdance.
19) If jeans had not been invented, what would we all be wearing?
I quess we would all be in twills, canvas, corduroys and rib stops.
20) And finally, any predictions for denim in 2008
I really believe the key for 2008 is to have a wide range of denims and finishes. Colored, black and grey denim, as well as indigo in many shades continue into fall. On one side of the spectrum you have dark washes, coated, sleek and modern looking and on the other side you have light washes, with aggressive treatments and destruction. The Rifle team in Italy merged the two sides of the spectrum. They did some lighter vintage washes with a coating. That looked really new and directional, the effect is not easy to achieve.
