Scifen: Streetwear Grown Up
At the time that Barmak Bandaei started Scifen streetwear clothing in 1999, he was a college student that B-boy-danced and wore Dockers pants rolled up at the ankle, polo shirts and Clarks Originals’ Wallabee boots. Scifen’s T-shirts touted illustrated graphics by graffiti artist Ewok One, and its cut-and-sew goods referenced military fatigues and Starter jackets.
Now that Bandaei is 29 years old and married with two kids, the relaunch of The Scifen Co. reflects the designer’s adult level of taste, yet it is still true to his streetwear DNA. In an attempt to “figure out how to wear something [he] used to love,” Bandaei reinterpreted ’80s color-blocking and applied it to a tailored woven shirt that looks like he slashed two pinpoint oxford cotton shirts—one light blue and one navy blue—across the chest and sewed them together.
“To me, streetwear is just being creative and giving an identity and life to everyday fashion. It’s not complicated. It’s not contrived,” Bandaei said. Scifen was on hiatus for 18 months because of a legal dispute, during which he thought a lot about what kind of clothes he wanted to make and wear when he returned to business.
“If you don’t have a professional job where you have to dress by some kind of code, everyone in some way or fashion is wearing streetwear, you just wear it wherever you go,” Bandaei said.
Each item of the Spring 2011 line was designed as its own entity with no specific “big picture” to the season except for taking “classic items that needed to be reinterpreted.” Bandaei puts rounded collars, circular pockets and Henley collars on men’s woven shirts. He accents a yarn-dyed gingham-check shirt with more gingham checks in a different size.
The most progressive of his previous streetwear accounts have ordered it, such as Complex in Vancouver and Karmaloop.com, as well as some contemporary stores such as Atlas in San Francisco and Wasteland in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Wholesale price points range from $42 to $45 for woven shirts, $65 to $79 for jackets and $48 to $60 for sweatshirts.
Launching during a time when people have less disposable income, the brand’s streetwear lineage and attention to design will win over fellow grown-up street kids who still want to dress with an edge, Bandaei said.
“Especially for men’s, people buy for association and identity, so the authenticity to your product and craftsmanship is more important than ever. The consumer recognizes that. They want to buy something they feel good about and want to be a part of,” Bandaei said. For more information, call (213) 623-3265 or e-mail info@scifen.com.—Rhea Cortado
