Byline: David Lipke
KASIL
'The Denim Garden' is Kasil's branding tagline, and the L.A.-based jeans company is reaping a bounty of new detailing, washes and fabrics for spring. 'We always have a wide variety of styles, but we don't do anything too crazy. We always want to keep that great, classic jeans look,' explains David Lim, who founded the company in 2003 and launched the men's line this past spring.
One area that the company does embellish with flair is the back pocket, with the season's new design elements including metal studs, corduroy trim and plaid insets. Another innovation is a jean made from a hemp-blend fabric ($190 retail), whose brown threads peek through as the denim wears in. Lim is also excited about a marbleized wash that creates a 'blue fire' effect.
For jeans aficionados seeking denim alternatives, Kasil has a new lineup of pigment-dyed cotton twill options, in boot-cut and relaxed straight-leg fits, in colors like olive, khaki and tobacco ($175 to $190). 'It feels like a denim jean, but it has a really soft hand,' says Lim. (The label's name -- pronounced like 'castle' -- is a riff on Lim's Korean name, which means 'Castle in the Forest.')
CANTERBURY OF NEW ZEALAND
Ralph Lauren latched onto the sporty Ivy League appeal of rugby for his latest fashion label, and now one of the sport's pioneers is set to do the same. Canterbury of New Zealand -- which was founded in 1904, originated the rugby shirt and currently outfits a host of national rugby teams around the world, as well as college teams at Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth -- is set to debut a new off-field line of premium sportswear.
The line of color-infused, logo rugby shirts ($98 to $150), polos ($68 to $108), and T-shirts is launching this fall at Nordstrom, the U.K.'s Harvey Nichols, and Spain's El Corte Inglese, among other stores. The line features signature elements from the company's on-field designs, such as rubber buttons and rip-resistant construction.
'Everything's garment washed, with a slim fashion fit and vintage sport look,' says Colin Gillooly, a Ben Sherman veteran who is now overseeing Canterbury's sales and marketing for North America.
The company's casual sportswear initiative is being undertaken by its new owners, an investment group that includes Hap Klopp, who was the founder of The North Face (now owned by VF Corp.) and is currently chairman of Blue Marlin. 'Canterbury has heritage, leadership in a niche sport and the cachet of New Zealand -- a fantastic platform on which to build the brand globally,' says Klopp.
C&C CALIFORNIA
As its name suggests, C&C California is all about laid-back, comfortable styles infused with a casual West Coast vibe. The spring line boasts plenty of printed and solid T-shirts, in a luscious array of colors like pale blue ('snow bunny' as the company calls it), faded black, guacamole green and orange 'sizzle' ($52 to $58 retail). Solid polos are available in a palette of 10 additional colors.
'It's the fabrics and colors that make this line special,' explains Jennifer Lazarus, owner of L.A.-based Showroom 903, which sells the Liz Claiborne-owned line. 'The fabric is this really soft jersey that C&C designs themselves, and the T's are available in either a skinny rocker fit or a looser skater fit.'
Also in the lineup are heavyweight fleece sweatshirts, in zippered and pullover styles ($136). 'They have a vintage, old-time look, very beefy and athletic,' says Lazarus.
OP CLASSIC
While the OP Classic moniker was marketed by former licensee Ray's Apparel for a line of sportswear, the current team working on this sub-label of the OP surf brand -- now owned by Warnaco -- considers it an entirely new concept, debuting next spring. 'This is really a relaunch,' says Sun Choe, vice-president of merchandising and design for the label. 'This is a full-on premium line with very exclusive distribution, much slimmer fits and true retro-classic styles.'
The customer is clearly a guy into '70s fashions with an affinity for kitsch, and is not afraid to show a little leg. Among the spring offerings are corduroy shorts -- including some with a four-inch inseam -- glossy nylon windbreakers with rainbow chest stripes, canvas boardshorts and terry-cloth polo shirts. If the collection had to be summed up in one word, 'cute' might immediately spring to mind.
Prices had not been finalized at presstime, but Choe said graphic-print T-shirts would run $60 to $80 retail, polos around $90 and windbreakers somewhere north of $100. 'It's for the Williamsburg hipster with money,' she explains, adding that part of the line may be sold into actual vintage stores to reach the young, trend-setting consumer who shops there.
THE EMPERORS NEW CLOTHES
After gaining a measure of visibility with their much-photographed 'Please Don't Feed the Models' T-shirts, the duo behind this New York-based label -- model booker Richard Wheeler and photographer Gavin Bond -- is expanding into tailored jackets, elaborately embroidered outerwear and military-inspired shirt-jackets.
'The tailored pieces are vivid blazers in pink or baby blue or plaid, in baby corduroy and wool blends,' says Wheeler, who has sold his fledgling line into big-name retailers like Bloomingdale's, Kitson and H. Lorenzo. 'They're specialty items that will be fairly limited in distribution.'
The new parkas ($330) feature Indian-inspired embroidery in sparkling red, green and silver tones, including images of deities like Ganesh. However, T-shirts remain the core of the collection, with snappy slogans and logos like 'American Excess' and 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Aimless.'
STITCH'S
After hitting the fashion jackpot with its Da-Nang military surplus-inspired label, Albert Dahan has made denim and leather the focus of his newest venture, Stitch's. Launched at retail this past spring, the jeans feature signature bold stitching executed on shoe-making equipment, with denim aged in antique redwood barrels in an historic Evansville, Wyo., facility. The time-consuming process means a wallet-shrinking price tag of $285 for the average jean in the collection.
For spring, Stitch's is introducing non-indigo denim in earth-toned colors like white, khaki and brown, offering new options to jeans collectors swimming in a sea of blue. 'We need to do something more than just boring five-pocket jeans,' reasons Dahan.
Complementing the denim lineup are leather shoulder bags, all hand-stitched using 'rejected' leather scraps ($330 retail). 'We actually find beauty in these non-prime skins because they give the bags a worn-in, organic look,' says Dahan.
Caption(s): Kasil Jeans / Canterbury of New Zealand / C&C California / OP Classic / The Emperors New Clothes / Stitch's
