Another Design Studio: Denim Pedigree, Guns for Hire
The three founders of design consultant firm Another Design Studio have deep roots in Los Angeles’ premium-denim and sportswear world.
Collectively, the trio has experience that includes high-profile positions at companies such as Levi Strauss & Co., 7 For All Mankind, Nike, Hudson Jeans, O’Neill, Joie, Olah Inc., Tuff Gong Clothing, GoldSign, AG Adriano Goldschmied, Gap Inc., J Crew and Abercrombie & Fitch in fields as varied as pattern-making, product development and creative direction.
Now, they want to use their expertise to help brands large and small do everything and anything from conception to completion of a line.
The company was founded last year by Stefano Aldighieri, Dan Disanto and Gary You. Aldighieri, a former creative director for Seven and Hudson and a design director for Levi’s, specializes in men’s design and denim. Disanto—a former senior patternmaker and technical designer at Levi’s and a patternmaker and consultant for Nike, Joie and O’Neill—specializes in patternmaking and technical design. You—who served as the head of product development at Hudson after similar stints at GoldSign, AG, The Gap and J Crew—specializes in sourcing and product development. Aldighieri and Disanto co-founded Tuff Gong Clothing with Rohan Marley, son of the late reggae music giant Bob Marley.
Pooling their know-how and resources to create Another Design Studio, the three have created something unique. Motivated by their distaste for the politics and bureaucracy they encountered in corporate environments, the trio initially considered launching their own line. “We just wanted to say [to the industry], ’Relax, you’re just making a pair of pants,’” Aldighieri joked. Instead, they decided to make their more than 60 years of cumulative expertise and laid-back approach available to brands worldwide.
Another Design Studio’s services include branding; brand start-up; design for denim, knits, wovens and outerwear; global sourcing; technical packs; wash, dye and print development with local contractors; and help finding the right manufacturers.
“When people think of a design consultant, they have a limited idea; it stops at the pattern,” You said. “We can take the process through to production, but we’re ideal for companies that are just starting up and don’t know the ins and outs of how to launch a line or for large, established companies that need a fresh dose of inspiration.”
And You and Aldighieri said their services are more cost-effective than hiring their in-house equivalents. “We’re a complete team. There’s nothing that one of us or all of us together can’t do,” You said.
According to Aldighieri, all three founders work on projects, deferring duties to those with the most expertise or better idea on any given subject. “You get three for the price of one,” he said. The depth and scope of their expertise is also economical in that they know how to design cost-effective garments. “One person can’t do all of it—fit, style, wash,” Aldighieri said. “We understand the business of design.”
So far, Another Design Studio’s clientele has strayed from the premium-denim world Disanto, You and Aldighieri cut their teeth in—and they’re happy for the challenge. Current projects include designing functional denim for a work-wear brand. “We’ve gone back to the classic and original purpose of denim—pure functionality,” You said. “It is so far out of premium denim, but it fits with our motto, which is form and function. It is no-frills. There has to be a reason for everything, which makes it so much more fun.”
Another Design Studio is also developing denim prototypes for a denim manufacturer, design for a contemporary men’s and women’s line inspired by the art of Mexico’s native Nayarit Indians, and a high-profile celebrity line.
International brands from countries as far-flung as India, Korea, Brazil, Japan and Indonesia have approached Another Design Studio with interest in bringing their denim production to Los Angeles. The weakness of the American dollar, the cachet of a “Made in the U.S.A.” label and the city’s denim pedigree are helping to make Los Angeles a prime destination for offshore denim brands—and You, Disanto and Aldighieri are positioned to be the perfect guides.
Pricing for Another Design Studio’s services can be a la carte or on a monthly retainer basis. For more information, visit www.anotherdesignstudio.com.
