The Danish Libertines

Ranking high on our brands-to-watch list, Denmark’s Libertine-Libertine was established last year by Rasmus Bak, Pernille Schwarz and Munch Ovesen. Offering a choice of reworked and updated basics for men and women, the label has received its fair share of following and press almost immediately upon arrival. Curious to learn more about the collection and its creators, we asked co-founder Rasmus Bak for additional info:

Libertine-Libertine AW10 Parka

Let’s start with a little background. Tell us about the start of the brand, what are the respective roles of the partners and where did you come from (professionally)?

Libertine-Libertine was established in 2009, during the long nights of the Danish spring, and is based on a different set of values and approach to the fashion scene. We wanted to build up a prolific, dynamic & creative platform that could feature a lot different projects ranging from fashion to music & art. It has been quite a ride since the launch in Paris last summer and we are currently represented in selected stores scattered over 12 countries now. We all have our basic back grounds in the fashion industry but in completely different areas. Pernille has been a design executive for some years now & Peter has studied philosophy in the creative industries and worked with various projects. My own back ground lies within music, sales & communications.

What’s in the name?

The name was born during a long stay in Paris after long strolls, hours of conversation & a few glasses of red wine. We all have a special connection to that sinful city and the name captures a lot of the emotions associated with it. We wanted a name that would allow us freedom to pursue whatever project we felt like doing no matter the direction – with other words; no restrictions.

What is it about clothing and fashion that makes it so appealing to you? What are your goals?

Generally, the clothing itself is the outcome of a long process consisting of different elements and inspiration sources that finally leads to a physical product. I still find this very fascinating. Our team is driven by working with expression and culture and the whole idea of creating a product that mirrors a certain culture is just very appealing.

Libertine-Libertine AW10 Shirts

Can you describe your creative process? What inspires you?

The main inspiration for the AW10 collection is drawn from our strong roots in street culture. One of the ambitions was to create a collection that defines an effortless, casual & masculine style on the men’s part whereas the women’s line captures versatility in style and contains both maritime & casual pieces as well as a darker and sexier side.

On a more general note people like Hunter S Thompson, & Kerouac are always hunting our office and their significant lifestyles as hobo and writer are great inspirations for the brand’s soul. Music is a huge part of us as well. It is still all about dynamics and movement for us and I feel this is perfectly mirrored in the collection. It’s casual and wearable with a strong focus on high quality and durable fabrics.

Continue reading and more images after the jump

Can you walk us through a bit of the manufacturing process, deciding on the materials, where you source them, fabrication?

We have carefully selected our suppliers via a group of very experienced people and we have a strong focus on fabric quality. We always develop our own art work for the shirts for instance and experiment with different washing techniques for outerwear etc. We produce practically everything in Europe.

Libertine-Libertine AW10 Knits

There has been a shift in attitude towards menswear/workwear in the past few years. What are your views on that?

Most definitely and I like the development. We have been dragged through years of utterly boring Scandinavian simplicity and a very restricted way of handling fashion and its opportunities. I see a complete change and a lot more spirit and excitement these days.

Is there something you think every guy should own in terms of clothing?

Great heavy chinos and twill shirts.

What makes a brand exciting for you?

Of course the design, product and quality are very important factors but I need the emotional values as well – a brand has to represent a movement or direction that appeals directly to me if they want me as a consumer.

Finally, what’s next for Libertine-Libertine?

AW10 Chinos detail

We have some amazing projects in the pipeline for the coming year. First of all we have done a very nice co-lab with Tenue De Nimes in Amsterdam which will be released the coming July and for the SS11 season we will be releasing the debut album of a greatartist called Pantherman together with Danish AiAiAi, who is one of the world’s best companies when it comes to headphones. Pantherman has made a truly fantastic record in family with the likes of Boards of Canada & Aphex Twin and we approached the format a bit differently. I am very excited to get it out there. It will be a grand year.

www.Libertine-Libertine.com

Sportswear International talked to Jason Denham, founder of the Dutch denim brand Denham, about the label’s recently opened second worldwide store in Tokyo and the expansion plans for Japan and the rest of the world. Here, Jason Denham also talks about the major themes for S/S 2011.

Denham has just opened a shop in Tokyo, which is the brand’s second store worldwide, after its first stand-alone store in Amsterdam, the 495 shop. Why did you pick Tokyo as a location?

First of all, we think Japan and also Asia on the whole is a very important market in the future, whether it be trend wise or in economic terms. Furthermore, you can find great factories here which use innovative techniques for washes. We already produce a large part of our collection at local laundry facilities. We still have a smaller team in Tokyo than at our headquarters in Amsterdam of course, but we will put a lot of effort in enlarging our presence here — this will happen step by step. I also have a very personal relationship to Japan because I have been travelling there for 15 years now and I love the culture and the taste-level of Japanese people. It’s an honor for me to open a store here now, especially in my favorite district of Tokyo, Daikanyama.

Is the store similar to the store in Amsterdam?

It is similar in terms of the idea of presentation. Like our HQ store in Amsterdam which combines the shop, design studio and showrooms all under one roof, the denim house in Tokyo also gives space to the shop as well as a little design studio with a workbench, just in a smaller concept.

Continued with more images of the new Denham Tokyo shop after the jump

What is the retail and expansion strategy for Denham?

We are already very successful in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the UK and Italy. We believe strongly in private retail. We would like to have stores in the most important cities of the world. At the moment we are looking for locations in Paris, London and Düsseldorf. We have also recently set up offices in London and Paris in order to settle there more permanently. Next to our private retail plans, we also want to grow with shop-and-shops. In February, we started with a shop-in-shop at Selfridges in London, which already is a fantastic success. And of course wholesale is also very important for us — we need good partners. That’s why we are very selective. Right now we work together with about 300 retailers worldwide.

Read the rest of the interview at sportswearnet.com

Images via Denhamthejeanmaker.com

O1 Magazine offers additional insight into one of our favorite labels – Maison Kitsuné. The guys behind the Parisian creative label, Masaya and Gildas, got together with 01 Magazine for a feature interview in which they discuss how Kitsuné came to be, their inspirations, collaborations and much more:

Who is your muse? Where do you get most of your inspirations from?

Gildas: Paris is our muse, but I think we get lots of inspirations from our travels too. We love to be in our office developing our projects but once in a while we get the chance to travel. It really keeps you with having an open mind.

Masaya: I get inspired when I start to work on the new collections. Of course my everyday life inspires me. I watch a lot classic American movies from the 50′s and 60′s, especially East Coast styles!

Read the full feature interview with Kitsuné here.

Agave Gold is an all-selvage label that Jeff Shafer really designed for denim fanatics like himself. Each jean is authentic with details and labeling that any denim connoisseur will appreciate. Every season Shafer works on developing a selection of exclusive selvage fabrics with his favorite mills for the Gold Label. All fabrics are woven on 29” American vintage shuttle looms. This season features the premium denim from Japanese mills Kuroki, Kaihara and US- based Cone. Every jean is, of course, designed, sewn and hand -finished in the USA.

Agave Gold offers one fit, the “Purist”, which is a re-creation of a true classic jean fit with button fly. All Agave Gold selvage jeans are limited edition and each jean is numbered and signed personally by Shafer on a weathered leather paper label on the inside fly. Gold details include vintage cowhide debossed label with a hit of gold thread, a plain slightly elongated pocket design, reverse bartacks, concealed rivets, authentic bag pocketing & belt loop detail and waist loops. Each season as Shafer adds a new fabric he tweaks and adds small design elements. This season the newest fabrics from Cone include a “deconstructed” split pocket detail on back pocket design and cotton twill waistband and inside details.

Denimaniac’s Q&A with Jeff Shafer and more images of Agave’s Gold Label Purist jeans after the jump.

DM: How did it start for you? What drew you to the world of denim?

JS: I have always loved jeans. In 2003, I went to Japan with a vintage Levi’s distributor and was initiated into the ways of vintage American denim and its reproductions. Brands like Evisu, Big John, Edwin, Lee, Levi, and Wrangler. The passion and the product were indescribable. The people were incredibly cool too. We visited tons of indy shops selling vintage American and Japanese denim reproductions. I instantly became obsessed with vintage American denim.

What’s in the name?

Agave is a plant that grows wild all over California and Mexico. In Santa Monica where I grew up and lived, they are called “century plants” and are virtually indestructible. They are a succulent and live to be 100 years old. Humans have been using them for over 9,000 years for clothing (jute), rope (sisal) and beverage (tequila). I love the way they look.

Can you describe your creative process? What inspires you?

I am a fiber and textile driven designer. The fiber and the denim itself is the most important place to start. It determines hand feel, color, texture, and the overall look. The fit is either good or bad, current or not. The details make a jean cool or lame. The wash makes it art. I love jeans that have rich color and natural looking finishes, not gimmicks. Great denim defines the wearer. Shuttle loom selvage denim is the best and the only choice of real denim lovers.

What makes Agave Denim different or better than other denim brands?

Quality & Authenticity. I select about 25 new denims every season from a universe of over 500. Each is hand selected to fit the specific criteria of the season. Most are from Japanese mills like Kuroki, Kurabo, Kaihara, and Nisshinbo. Some are from Italy like Gentex. Then all the jeans are cut, sewn and finished at Caitac in Los Angeles. I inspect several jeans from every lot we produce and personally sign the limited edition Gold jeans.

What lies in the future for Agave?

Relentless pursuit of making the best quality denim on the planet in a way that is sustainable and leaves the planet in a better place.

In December 2009 Tenue de Nîmes did an interview with Nigel Cabourn in Amsterdam. Nigel was asked to present his inspiration for the new Spring/Summer 2010 Burma collection. Take a look.

The concept behind the brand is quite an unusual one – ONVIS offers people selvage raw denim jeans –‘Bluevirgins’ - to a very reasonable price, asking them to live their products everyday by (ab)using them as much as possible. Once daily life has left it‘s traces on the denim ONVIS asks people to send back their pair of worn-out denim to choose and eventually replicate the mood for a possible next limited edition of the so called ‘Truestories’ collection. Once a new authentic ‘Truestories’ model has been created the respective originator will get paid a royalty on the collection‘s effective sales and will be portrayed on ONVIS.it.   

The style is a straight forward classic Five Pockets with updated comfortable and functional fitting. Unlike many other denim brands ONVIS does not follow any logo buzz but rather focus on finishing and subtle details. As this is not the common conduct for an Italian jeans brand, I wanted to talk to Shannon Sadler – the brand’s founder and designer – to clear a few points:

DM: First of all – you have a degree in Economics, what drew you to the world of denim? Why did you start Onvis?

SS: – By chance: I was working for REPLAY (www.replay.it) in London when I went to L.A. and after a discussion with ADRIANO GOLDSCHMIED I realized there was a need in replication of vintage look. I came back to Italy and I developed a new technology to achieve such look. – After 6 years in this field I started developing ONVIS because I realized there was a need for such kind of projects. I wanted to give a good product at a reasonable price (BLUEVIRGINS) even if made of salvage fabric and replicate real stories on denim (TRUESTORIES) recognizing a royalty to the owner of such story.

What’s in the name?

Might sound silly… but… because it represents me and at the same time it doesn’t. ‘SIANO’ is my nick name. If you rotate ONVIS logo you will read SIANO. At the same time I was looking for something short, easy to remember, and pronounced in the same way in different languages…

What makes Onvis different or better than other denim brands?

We try to be spontaneous and authentic; we don’t focus on logo buzz because we believe that in the long term people with the same attitude will appreciate this approach.

Continue reading after the jump

Without revealing any trade secrets, how do you create the different ‘aged’ looks?

With the technologies and know-how we developed here at the “chicken-farm” during these years in denim. The chicken farm is our studio where we share space with other creative designers working on shoes and other fields.

I noticed there aren’t a lot of Italian boutique denim brands, how do you explain that?

Maybe this is the result of how people dress here. They are addicted to brands and follow the total look concept. They don’t create their own style like happens in London, New York or Tokyo… Hard for a small boutique dedicate to denim to survive in such hard market.

Are you interested in creating a ‘total-look’ collection for your customers, or prefer to dedicate your brand to denim only?

In these first years we prefer to focus on denim only as we think there is still a long way to replicate an authentic used look and taste … and we would like to fill that gap. On the other hand the new ONVIS on line shop (deadline end of the year) will have unique washes (only one piece) and objects of design we called ‘rarities’ that we collect on flea markets in cities around the world.

What changes have you seen in the denim market in the last few years?

To be honest I didn’t see any big change in the last years and I think that all brands, including us, should focus on the mentioned gap and develop new tools, technology and ideas to move a step forward and surprise the final customer.

What’s the best way to age and treat Bluevirgins?

Wear it the longest you can before washing the first time, rinse wash them in a bucket with warm water and little soap. Hang them to dry. Always inside out. NO TUMBLE DRY, NO IRON.

You’ve lived in Paris, London and Italy; do you have a favorite denim shop(s)?

I don’t have a particular shop that I like, what I like most is getting lost in these cities and find small corners that can surprise me. If you are talking about inspiration I usually don’t go shopping, I rather go to flea markets, museums, events, gigs.

What lies in the future for Onvis?

Events, maybe temporary shops around Europe with gigs and exhibitions. We would like people to consider ONVIS more like a rock band then a denim brand. I would like people to come to our shows and have fun.

Put This On is a “web series about dressing like a grownup, hosted by Jesse Thorn and Adam Lisagor“. In the first episode they deal with our favorite garment of all – Denim. The video features a little denim history, denim do and don’ts, a nice interview with Mike Hodis from Rising Sun Jeans and even a buyer’s guide for those of you who still haven’t decided which one should be your next ‘one’. Enjoy!

Our friends at Denim Geek did a nice interview with Naked & Famous‘s Brandon Svarc.“Naked & Famous Denim is the opposite of everything that is wrong with the “premium” denim industry. Instead of selling “glamour” and “celebrity culture”, we just make a better jean for a better price. We find special and rare Japanese denim, then import it into Canada where we do all our production, and, we keep everything fully raw and simple”.

Read the full interview here

DNM: How did it start for you? What drew you to the world of denim?

Philip Goss: Denim has not always been as quotably fashionable like it is today, nor had as much kudos attached to it. I was a kid in the 70s & was forced to wear “jeans “, because of basic economics. It was not something I grew up with & therefore, grew to love…. this comment might disappoint, but I never really went near a pair of jeans (again) until I could see that something new was happening with the way denim was perceived & styled & , more importantly , that jeans were “different “ to what everyone else was wearing. I did not make career progress up through the commercial jeans company market place, like so many, to get where I am today. I am ex-st.martin’s. a designer, period. But I have an interest in the historical, the functional, in know-how & the craftsman. And this is what drew me “back“ to denim, because I could see that there was a neo-denim period about to happen in the early 90s.

DNM: Can you describe your creative process? What inspires you?

PG: There is no strict critical path with Ijin. I always aim for perfection & an alternative view point to the history of the denim product. I have always believed that communication & connection with a customer should come from within the strength of the garment itself, whatever form that it takes. I spent such a long time putting together the original Evisu selling line (back in 2000) & working with Japanese product & its replica denim mindset that I started Ijin irregular denim as a kind of yang balance to the yin classic denims I was used to working with.

DNM: Who are your role models, and why?

PG: I have always preferred an interpretation of the wearer, rather than a named person as mentor. Example: Morrissey always wore Levi’s in a totally original way (with the gladiolis in the pocket). I loved the Christopher Nemeth denim in the 80s, which is about as un-historic as you get. I would have to name Yamane- san [founder of Evisu – d.] as the most influential person, but not necessarily my role model….

DNM: You mentioned the wearer – are you interested in creating a ‘total-look’ collection for your customers, or prefer to dedicate yourself to denim only?

PG: Ijin has tried the idea of a total look, but it seemed that people were still trying to understand the concept behind the denim, which even today seems to be still classified as “edgy”. Ijin would definitely like to present selected articles other than denim in the future.

DNM: Of all the great denim shops in the world today, which are your favorites?

PG: Real McCoy, dry bones, Evis genes, 45 rpm, Osaka. Take five, Kowloon. 14 ounce, Roma. Tenue de Nimes, Amsterdam (Of course!). Garbstore, London. Blue in Green, NYC.

DNM: Cool choices! What, in your opinion, are the components of a great denim store?

PG: Unconflicting selection of cool denim brands. This does not mean that they all have to be exclusive or beyond anyone’s budget. The personality of the retailer is strongest when the mix is balanced.

DNM: What changes have you seen in the denim market in the last few years?

PG: 1. in recent years, everyone seems to view denim through” almond eyes”…..

2. False heritages & unsound pedigrees from so-called premium brands with no foundations in jeans making.

3. Internet savvy denim bloggers.

DNM: So… what lies in the future for Ijin Material?

PG: The Ijin is a soldier & a survivor. The Ijin is independent & will survive the current economic glitch that will kill of a lot of labels. Getting past these times is foremost to Ijin, whilst still making constantly evolving innovative denim product with an itch that you can’t scratch….