Denimology

Designer Q & A - Levi's

This week's Designer Q & A is with Carl Chiara, Premium Head of Design at the daddy of all denim brands - Levi's.

1) Why do you think after 200 years jeans are still one of the most popular items of clothing?

Jeans are timeless. We have the many of the oldest jeans in our archives in San Francisco and they are as relevant and as perfect today in an emotional & style sense as they were 150 years ago for Pioneers in a rational & functional sense. A pair of jeans is not a static proposition - jeans have soul and in that there is a very meaningful relationship and personal experience that comes with each pair that can last a lifetime.

2) Last time I counted there were over 200 brands of premium denim jeans, what makes your jeans stand out from the rest?

There is an ease to Levi's jeans. The designs are considered but never overproduced. As higher quality and longer lasting products become more important what makes our jeans stand out is the craftsmanship as well as style and fit that can make sense as much today as it will 6 months or 6 years from now.

3) Who do you imagine is a typical customer?

I don't know that we have a typical consumer. We sell jeans in malls in the middle of America just as well as we do at Barneys New York in Chelsea. Our jeans are cutting edge and middle of the road at the same time.

4) Where do you get your inspiration from?

I find inspiration in a fitting at the office, walking around Tokyo for a few days or spending a weekend in the redwoods. Inspiration is everywhere.

Lindsay Lohan In Vintage Levi's

5) Are there any essential jeans that everyone should have in their wardrobe?

The 501 is the original jean. It is essential.

6) What are the first pair of jeans you remember?

A pair of 501s that I bought 2nd hand in Junior High School that I would never let touch water. I would mend and keep together with patches. My mother hated them and threw them away one summer when I left them at home when I went to the beach one day. I think this sort of shaped me a bit.

7) What have been your favourite pair of jeans that you have owned and why?

I have a pair of 1947 501s that I have had for 13 years. They are a part of me. They have been through everything with me. I cannot imagine my world without them. I have my partner Todd, then I have the '47's.

8) Are you a "wash your jeans after each wear" person or a "wear your jeans for six months before you wash them" person?

I rarely wash my jeans.

9) 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 believe in fewer and better. I only have a handful of jeans and they are all very special to me and I know each one intimately.

Drew Barrymore In Levi's

10) Which celebs are currently wearing your jeans?

Drew Barrymore (see above), Kanye West, Ed Westwick, Zac Efron, Rachel Bilson, Sandra Bullock, The Jonas Brothers, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, the list goes on...

11) How important big an effect does it have on your sales when a celeb is seen wearing a pair of your jeans?

I think it is important initially, but at the end of the day it all comes back to quality. That's what keeps people in your jeans.

12) Who is your current favourite denim icon (male & female). I am thinking the person who has the most denim style?

Right now I am obsessed with old photos of miners wearing our jeans from the early 1900's. They wore them so raw and organically. They are my icons for the moment.

13) Which person living or dead would you most like to see in a pair of your jeans?

I love to see people living their lives in our jeans. I think it is as exciting to see a kid feeling cool in high school because he has the red 511's as it is to see Madonna in a pair vintage of 501s.

14) If jeans had not been invented, what would we all be wearing?

fig leaves

15) And finally, any predictions for denim in 2009/10

I think that people are increasingly interested in products that are going to last. It is getting cooler to have something for 5 or 6 years as opposed to overly trendy disposable fashion. Ideas about timelessness and sustainablity will continue to influence the way we design. The concept of things getting better with age and proving value through function and reliability will influence measures of quality. You have to put the best in to get the best out of things.