Raison D'ecirc;tre: California's Take on Linen

Raison D’ecirc;tre interprets California’s favorite casual styles with a new fabric—linen.

As an answer to the oversaturated denim market, Raison D’ecirc;tre’s linen pants and jackets are a colorful alternative to jeans.

The 8-ounce Belgian linen used by Raison D’ecirc;tre was specially developed by designer Mert Beraze, who designed fabrics for his family’s textile mill, Ugurteks, in Turkey before launching his own line.

“It’s very European reinterpreted for an American market,” said Beraze of the Raison D’ecirc;tre style. He cited zippers and buckles as touches of European influence. His favorite item is the trench coat with a waxed waterproof coating that he said could be worn as a coat or a very, very short dress. The line encompasses casual style such as matching hoodie-and-cargo-pants sets, a silver Lurex striped dress, and mini shorts in a range of 16 candy and neutral colors. Swarovski crystals and teardrop zipper pulls complement the glitzy chandelier logo.

Jennifer Heim, owner and buyer for the recently opened boutique Related in the Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, said that 75 percent of the bottoms in her store are jeans by labels such as True Religion, Taverniti So and Joe’s Jeans. Heim bought neutral-colored pants and a military-inspired jacket by Raison D’ecirc;tre for her store as denim alternatives. The items have the same comfort level as sweat suits but with a more tailored quality.

“You think California cool, you know, very casual, that whole ’just throw it on and go.’ Even though [Raison D’ecirc;tre] is flowy because it’s linen and it’s light, it’s still a little bit more fashiony,” said Heim, who previously was one of the buyers for the Los Angeles boutique Intuition.

The name of the line, Raison D’ecirc;tre, translates from the French as “reason to be,” said Beraze. “The inspiration is from the lifestyle in the south of France and St. Tropez where people live a life of luxury the whole timehellip;. They act as if they were born into it. This is your lifestyle, your reason to be.”

The line has been selling well for Spring in warmer climates such as Arizona and will be combined with wool, tweed and upholstery fabric for the Fall 2006 season to accommodate the cooler weather. Wholesale price points are $72 for a five-pocket pant, $60 for a jacket and $85 for a pant with zippers down the front of the leg.

For more information, contact the Jennifer Michelle Sales showroom in Suite B511 of the California Market Center at (213) 891-1744. —Rhea Cortado