1921 Jeans

Fashion Wire Daily March 28, 2005 - NEW YORK - Subtract the fact that, for the most part, the manufacture of jeans and jeans-related product isn't the kind of thing that a couple of hipsters can handle out of their self-renovated loft, it sure does seem that the effervescing number of niche denim brands is symptomatic of the trendiness of launching such companies. (Remember when everyone was designing jewelry? Or handbags?)

Granted, some denim entrepreneurs come pedigreed — Adriano Goldschmied, for example, who will be launching an as-yet-unnamed line later this year, all but invented the American market for the upscale denim, while Scott Morrison, of Earnest Sewn, laid the foundations for the behemoth Paper, Denim & Cloth.

On the other side of the coin, there's Shag by Sally Hershberger, who has yet to articulate the natural similarity between cutting hair and cutting jeans (apart from the fact that a haircut by Hershberger and a pair of Shag jeans will set you back approximately the same jaw-dropping amount.)

Either way, these days everyone seems to think they've got a bead on the best of all possible denim, and weekly, it seems, yet another brand comes to market. In the meantime, for shoppers, setting about finding the right pair of jeans is fast becoming as hopeless a task as getting the cheapest airline ticket on a popular route: As options proliferate, so does confusion.

Judging by the number of neophyte denim vendors at last month's New York City trade shows, the fad for upscale denim has hardly peaked. Among the crowd of new, or at least new-ish brands, however, a few do stand out. Here's the cheat sheet.

Siwy At first glance, Siwy jeans don't seem like anything special. Or, more accurately, they don't seem to be any more special than any other pair of high-priced jeans: The fade and distressing is artful, the silhouette a sexy tweak on traditional bootcuts, and the denim itself is high quality. Where Siwy stands out, however, is in its smart, user-friendly details. A subtly shortened back hem on longer styles, for example, is sewn so girls can avoid tripping over their pant legs when they're wearing flats or sneakers (along with the knock-on effect of mopping up the street with the heel of their jeans.) The tulip-shaped pockets, likewise, are sculpted for maximum butt-lifting effect, and the rise, though low, is forgiving. Siwy's jeans, unlike the offerings of numerous other upscale brands, seems intended for girls with curves, a huge part of the denim market, but one that is continually underserved. The brand is launching for Spring with a small range, which includes not only straight-leg and bootcut styles, but also miniskirts and a pair of "tailored," i.e., super-tight capris, which will fit nicely underneath tall boots.

1921 Where other brands pay lip service (however sincere) to the vintage denim aesthetic, 1921 is all about making the oxymoronic ideal of brand-new vintage come alive. Designed by old denim hand Allan Kemp, 1921 jeans are manufactured in-house at company headquarters in Canada, with an emphasis on hand-finishing. According to U.S. Sales Rep David Soares, "every whisker and every fade" is authentic, i.e., copied from vintage sources and then applied to the jeans' modern silhouettes. Some of the more distressed pairs of 1921s, each of which differ slightly, have a very specific, hippie-ish appeal — you have to like the idea of rips and patches — but the almost silky softness of denim has a charm that's universal. The denim jackets, in particular, have a lovely, familiar feeling, and wearing one you can almost manage to forget that the company that made it is only three seasons old in America.

Meli-Melo As Monty Pythonites might have it, now for something completely different. Unlike so many new denim brands, Meli-Melo, which launches officially for Spring '05, can't be accused of offering a distinction without a difference; this is a line that's all about innovative design.

"I think you can see that we're a different kind of denim label just in the fact that our signature style is a trouser cut," notes Meli-Melo co-founder Michael Muellerleile. "The look is very dressed-up, and there are a lot of high-end details, like the imported silk lining on the waistband, that you won't see anywhere else."

In addition to the signature trouser-cut jeans, Meli-Melo's collection for Spring includes more basic denim styles, such as a faded minis and bootcut jeans, as well as distinctive looks such as dark-rinse capris so lightweight and generously cut they seem tailor-made for lazy summer Sundays. The company's looks for Fall, however, go even further out on a design limb, with a pleated denim skirts with gatherered or braided waistband details, a trenchette denim jacket crisply-cut denim gauchos. Designed by Renee McCracken, Meli-Melo seems, like L.A. forbears Habitual, to grow quickly from its denim roots and into a force in the broader sportswear market.

Farmer Jeans Farmer, like 1921, already has a few seasons under its denim belt. And, like 1921, the label puts its emphasis on authenticity. The similarities end there, however: Farmer, uniquely in the luxe denim market, is designed to be an un-name brand.

"We're not your typical label-whore company," explains designer Peter Lang Nooch, putting a fine point on the matter. "We don't hire a PR to push our product on every B-list celebrity out there, and we're not about contrived washes or cuts. We're traditionalists," Nooch continues, "and that premise extends to how we see people wearing the jeans — like, they wear the jeans, the jeans don't wear them. The way denim ought to work is however you want it to."

Farmer's back-to-basics approach is a welcome one, and Nooch is good to his word when it comes to designing his label's several, uniformly unfussy styles. Ironically, Farmer is the brand that seems to be picking up the most buzz among the newbies, which may speak to the fact that a growing number of shoppers who may want to wear designer denim, but nonetheless find themselves addled by the kaleidoscopic array of options.

"Good quality material, good, basic cuts, and that's it," Nooch reiterates. "I mean, what else do you really need in a pair