Denim Therapy: Tell us a little about the spring 2012 collection. We noticed an emphasis on studs, zippers, and hardware (and we love it).

Julien Jarmoune: Yes, a selection of our spring styles feature studs and hardware which is geared towards high end image boutiques and our more rocker clientele.  However, the core focus of our Spring 2012 line is colors. In 15 color washes ranging from pastels to brights and neons, we offer a wide selection of styles including skinnies, flares, skinny micro flare, mini shorts, mini skirts,  pleated trousers and pleated trouser shorts. We also offer all 14 styles in white.  In addition to introducing new colors we’re also going back to our heavier sanded and torn washes.

DT: How do you differentiate yourself from the hundreds of popular denim brands afloat right now?

JJ: Black Orchid is the only premium denim collection on the market that combines amazing fits and designs with a huge press and celebrity following all at a great price point.

DT: Do you have any pre-designing rituals?

JJ: When I am about to design my next collection, I usually get “stuck” and can’t come up with any ideas for almost a month and start loosing sleep over it. And then for an inexplicable reason I wake up one morning with the entire collection completely done in my head.  Everything becomes apparent to me and I end up designing a collection of 60 styles within the next 2 weeks. Always a stressful but such an exciting moment!

DT: Describe the woman who represents your ideal target customer.

JJ: My ideal customer is a fashion trendsetter.  She is sexy and confident and looks great in her jeans whether paired with a nice bag and a pair of Louboutins or a casual tee and flats.

DT: What would be your dream collaboration? Any plans of that in the future?

JJ: I don’t have any plans at the moment but would love to collaborate someday with brands such as Alexander Wang, Balmain or Thomas Wylde.

DT: Do you have any favorite/least favorite denim trends right now?

JJ: My favorite denim trend is a classic skinny jean because I think it looks great on any body.  I’m more resistant to the bell bottom trend, as it’s more difficult to pull this off.

DT: Street style and style blogs are huge in the industry right now as a source of inspiration, influencing the high-end labels rather than vice versa. How much does street style influence your designing?

JJ: Believe it or not I never look at any of those websites for inspiration. I always design what I like and what I would like my BlackOrchid customer to wear.

DT: How many pairs of jeans do you own?

JJ: About 10 or 12, all from Dior Homme.

DT: Can you give us hint about what’s next?

JJ: Colors, colors, colors.

Check out some shots we took at the Coterie spring 2012 preview below.