Bespoke Denim Finding A Market

Designer Mychael Darwin cuts pattern for a pair of jeans. Photo: Raquel Lanerivia forbes

Although premium denim has been around for a few years, the closest thing to bespoke denim has been the made-to-fit jeans offered from several jean manufacturers. Most of the time it was hit or miss(more miss than hit) fits weren't accurate and the final product was disappointing.

Enter handmade, custom tailored denim boutques, who sew on the premises. 

A small group of designers, from New York to Los Angeles, are carving out a niche market for themselves serving clients who are interested in custom jeans.

Read about them here...

Gap Struggling to Find Its Niche

Gap has announced plans to close 21 percent of their U.S. retail stores(as their leases expire).

MSNBC's Bottomline examines various reasons Gap has lost its market share and finds itself striving to compete with other brands.

This move may come a surprise to some who are used to the denim retailer being dominant in the marketplace, but for those who have paid attention to the continued missteps - refreshed logo failure, hiring and firing of Patrick Robinson, introduction of 1969 a few years too late, their new operation in downtown LA, moving toward urban customer base, then away from it - it's no surprise at all.

Read more...

via thebottomline

HBO: How To Make It In America Season 2 Trailer

How To Make It In America returns Sunday, October 2nd at 10:30pm (ET)

Video: Gap 1969 Denim Studio Downtown Los Angeles

Get and inside look at the creative loft on West Pico Boulevard in Downtown L.A.

As part of their fall campaign, the clothing manufacturer is helping explain why they opened that office down there.

Nice spin.

Kinda funny where you hear it said in the video, "we're all equal"... everyone's equal until something goes wrong.

Levi's Monochrome Collection Fall/Winter 2011

Levi's newest capsule collection of modern monochrome jeans for young men.

Expect these to come in a variety of fits - from skinny, tapered, regular and straight.

The real draw will be the finishes - colors like Black Point, Slam Grey and Petrol Blue accessorized with black zippers or leather patches and tone-on-tone stitching.

How To Make It In America: Season 2

Returning to HBO for Season 2.

Let's hope they cut back on the stereotypes this time.

Shape What's To Come by Levi's® : Pam DeLuco Making Denim Paper

Pam DeLuco shows how she makes unique handcrafted denim journals for the Shape What's To Come community.

Shape What's To Come by Levi's® is a community of women from around the world, peers and mentors connecting with each other.

Women changing their worlds - collectively and individually.

shapewhatstocome.com

Video: Maffew Ragazino - "Can't Stop The Prophet & Japanese Denim"

DJ Clark Kent has a 7th Anniversary Lafayette mixtape and the first song is off of that, the second is from Rare Gems The Collection.

Peep Clark in the video.

Patrick Robinson Let Go From Gap

After a few highly publicized years as executive vice-president of Gap Global Design for Adult and Body, designer Patrick Robinson has been shown the door.

Robinson created lots of excitement around the Gap name with the 1969 stores and Premium Denim line.

After seeing the hiring of former Seven for All Mankind designer Rosella Giuliani and the amount freedom she has in Los Angeles, it was clear his days were numbered.

They can blame Patrick Robinson, but Gap problems run much deeper - high prices, bland styles.

Stores like H&M have had a lot to do with the diminishing returns they're seeing.

Read more...

via nymag

G-Star Raw: Spring/Summer Campaign 2011 Photo Shoot

Chess champion Magnus Carlsen is the focus of G-Star's recent campaign.

GAP 1969 Summer Denim

Gap 1969 shows their summer 2011 denim collection.

Gap's New 1969 Store in Soho

Gap opened their new 1969 store in Soho and The Racked was there to check it out.

The store is located at 513 Broadway - Broadway and Prince Street(one block south of Houston).

This is similar to their Los Angeles store on Robertson with the 1969 themed denim.

Expect to see more exclusive fits and Japanese influenced denim(raw denim).

Read more and see more pics...

Denim from 1650 to 2011

While denim is thought of as being relatively new, there is a new exhibit at the Didier Aaron art gallery in New York City that illustrates its use and function in Europe as early as the 17th century.

Read Alexa Brazilian's article about the exhibit(showing Jan.20-Feb. 4) and the subject...

The Making of A Pair of Roy Jeans

See craftsmanship that goes into a pair of Roy Jeans.

45 Rpm Studio Japanese Denim Jeans Explained

Erin of 45 Rpm Studio(Soho) explains what makes their Japanese denim jeans unique.

He also shows what makes all Japanese denim different than other premium jeans.

Keep in mind, these are some of the most expensive jeans in the world, so be advised before you cop some for yourself.