By David Lipke

From WWD DENIM IN DEPTH ISSUE 11/19/2009

Acne’s cotton jeans and Lova’s TK tank top. DC Shoes sneakers.

Ben Sherman’s denim shorts, Aviator Nation’s hoody and tank top, all in cotton. J. Lindeberg belt; Common Projects sneakers.

Vans’ cotton and spandex jeans, 7 For All Mankind’s leather and cotton jacket and G-Star Raw’s cotton and polyester sweater. Vans sneakers.

Key men’s denim trends for spring include clean and classic five-pockets, skinny fits with stretch and shades of gray.

1. Classic, Clean Five-Pockets: Levi’s never go out of style, said Jennifer Althouse, denim buyer at American Rag, and the iconic brand is the Los Angeles store’s top seller. “I always have a customer for this look. Young and old, they always come back to Levi’s.”

2. Vintage Washes With Rips and Repairs: Worn-in styles command higher prices than clean washes, said Thomas George, owner of the E Street Denim stores in Highland Park, Ill., and Lake Geneva, Wis. “The more work done to a jean, the easier it is for a customer to justify a premium price.”

3. Skinny Fits With Stretch: A growing number of men’s jeans are incorporating stretch fabric for comfort and fit, especially in skinny fits. “We do really well with Kill City in these styles, as they have a great price and interesting washes,” said Althouse.

4. Overwashed, Faded Hues: Pale blue denim is ideal for spring and summer months, as it tends to be lighter and softer. “This trend is very important in our spring assortment, as we’re one of the only brands to offer such a supersoft selvage in an alternative to white,” said Jerome Dahan, chief executive officer and creative director at Citizens for Humanity. At Seven For All Mankind, a pale ecru shade is a riff on this style.

5. Jean Shorts: Denim shorts have cleaned up and become less grungy for spring, according to Audrey Gingras, owner of New York’s Archetype Showroom. Its April 77 label offered a selvage style for spring.

6. Gray Denim: An increasingly popular alternative to indigo shades, “gray denim is a neutral that goes with a lot of looks,” said Gingras. 

Guess Jeans, Polo Ralph Lauren’s jacket and What Goes Around Comes Around’s Henley, all in cotton. Calvin Klein Shoes.

Levi’s jeans and Earnest Sewn’s shirt, both in cotton. Stüssy tie; Tiffany & Co. tie bar; Common Projects sneakers.

Kill City’s cotton and spandex denim jeans, J. Lindeberg’s wool blazer and CLU’s cotton shirt. Common Projects shoes.

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–Nikki Cho Russo

by Alex Badia

From WWD ISSUE 08/27/2009

After a period of immaculately clean superskinny fits dominating the jeanswear market, the big news for spring is the straight-leg distressed look — coupled with extreme ripped denim, soft whiskering and splattered paint-aged effects. Here, five denim trends gaining momentum for the upcoming season. 

Citizens of Humanity Partners With Will Lemon

by Khanh T.L. Tran

From WWD ISSUE 08/27/2009

LOS ANGELES — Premium denim brand Citizens of Humanity is giving a twist to T-shirts through a collaboration with artist Will Lemon. 

The Huntington Park, Calif.-based company is sprucing up tanks, short-sleeve Ts, tunics and three other women’s spring styles with Lemon’s technique of blending screen-printing with hand-painting. A tank top pops in a blue snakeskin print mottled with what resembles neon oil spills, a gray scoop-neck T-shirt is enlivened with a bold splash of azure and ruby raindrops fall all over a yellow tank dress. All will retail for approximately $135. 

“I envisioned an outdoor scene and I first saw a snake sunbathing in a field of tall, verdant grass,” said Lemon, whose previous fashion collaborations were with Marc Jacobs and MAC. “I also imagined a small stream with a slight waterfall nearby and these first three images that were there in my mind became the metaphors for the prints that eventually ended up on the T-shirts.” 

Cut from a soft, light cotton knit, the pieces are also washed and dyed by hand at Citizens of Humanity’s laundry. 

“The collaboration with Will is a highlight of the special things that we can do,” said Adriano Goldschmied, executive vice president of design at Citizens of Humanity, which also owns his denim brand GoldSign. “We own already a lot of technology and know-how that we can apply to our T-shirt. We own our own dye house and laundry. Our goal is to make something different.” 

Choosing to collaborate with Lemon helps Citizens of Humanity differentiate itself from competitors in a challenging economy as it seeks to expand its jeans business with complementary categories such as T-shirts. Goldschmied said the company is also considering applying Lemon’s screen-painting technique to jeans and men’s T-shirts.

–Nikki Cho Russo