Blue Art: The Art of Denim
Newcomer designer Femi Samuel isn’t afraid to bring his new denim line, Blue Art, to a struggling marketplace.
“We’re not scared. Denim will be hot for the next 30 to 40 years. If you bring something unique to the marketplace, people will buy it,” said Samuel, a veteran music-industry professional who has always had his toes dipped in the fashion market.
Now with Beverly Hills–based Blue Art, he hopes to become the next West Coast brand to hit it big. Blue Art will launch this fall with men’s denim and follow up for holiday with the women’s line. It’s not all denim. The collection includes knits, wovens, and leather tops and jackets, all made in Italy. The pants are made in California. The men’s line will launch with seven styles, followed by the women’s with four.
Samuel is using Japanese kaihara and Italian candiani fabrics for the pants collection, which will retail from $169 up to $495 for limited-edition styles, which include “The Soprano” and “The Big Ego,” a model that features an embroidered peacock on the rear pocket and is made from Japanese denim straight from Ginza.
Styles will come in mostly indigo, with some black and charcoal looks for Fall/Holiday.
“For Spring, we will have some wild colors,” Samuel said.
The jeans are being produced in California out of the company’s factory in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, where artisans do hand embroidery and chain-lock stitching.
“Anybody can buy Japanese fabric. It’s what you do with it that makes the difference,” he said. “The design, stitching and finishing is what will set us apart.”
Samuel describes the fits and cuts as having a relaxed European edge. It’s affordable luxury, he added.
The line will be shown at the Project Global Trade Show Aug. 26–28 in Las Vegas. For more information, e-mail sales@blueartjeans.com. —Robert McAllister
