Coming to Deener
One year after leaving Yanuk, designer Ya-el Torbati has launched her own line of women’s premium denim for Fall 2006. Named after her hound, Deener includes classic five-pocket jeans, tailored jean jackets, kicky denim knickers, slim pencil skirts and screen-printed T-shirts.
Body-conscious styling is universal to the line. High-waisted cigarette pants are skinny through the ankle, boot-cut jeans are slender and skirts are nipped in at the knee. Torbati ventured out of the standard denim routine with a fitted skirt suit. Nubby, loose-weave denim is shaped into a ladylike silhouette perfect for the office or Sunday brunch.
While the shapes are staples, the Deener is in the details.
Torbati agonized over the details to make her collection modern and distinctive. Copper hardware looks handcrafted and features three-dimensional shapes. Tonal and textural stitching, double-pocket flaps and beautiful washes make the line feel fresh and modern. Several of the jacket and pant styles are available in color-saturated corduroy.
“I’m trying to keep [the denim] dark, rich and natural,” Torbati said. “I don’t like denim that looks over-produced. Deener looks raw and unwashed, but the fabric is soft and has a great hand.
The idea, Torbati said, is to create gorgeous-yet-low-key denim for the girl who wears her jeans every day. “I don’t want people to look at my denim and see the brand,” she said.
Made from Italian and Japanese fabrics in rigid and stretch, the majority of Deener’s denim is resin baked and hand processed. “The result is more subtle, but the treatments are just as labor intensive as the more elaborate finishes,” the designer said.
Already booked in more than 100 retailers, including Los Angeles’ Planet Blue, Diavolina and Madison, Deener will begin shipping in July. Wholesale prices range from $31 for Tshirts, $78 to $92 for jeans, $98 for jackets and $64 for skirts.
The line may be viewed at the Noetic Showroom at the Cooper Design Space in Los Angeles. For more information, call (213) 614-7924.
Spring Blooms New Denim at Joie
Two years after designer Joie Rucker sold her brand, Joie, to Serge Azria, brother of BCBG founder Max Azria, the brand has announced it will no longer be producing five-pocket jeans.
Instead, beginning with Spring 2007, the brand will produce a line of trendy silhouettes in a variety of styles, lengths and washes. The shapes, which will appeal to a younger crowd, will include rolled denim shorts and distressed skirts for summer and select pieces for the Resort/ Holiday season.
Denim Maker to Buy Romanian Wash House
Jeantex Group, the Huntington Beach, Calif.–based manufacturer of denim for brands such as Stronghold Jeans, Blue Cult, Guess and Lucky, and majority owner of Los Angeles–based denim brand Yves Castaldi, has signed a stock-purchase agreement to acquire 51 percent of a Romanian industrial washing company.
The purchase of Eurotex Spalatorie Textile in Sibiu, Romania, will open distribution networks in Romania, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria and the Russian Federation, the company said.
The purchase price for Eurotex is reported to be $80,000 in cash and $120,000 in restricted stock. The deal is set to close by July 15.
The move to Romania is a calculated effort by Jeantex to take advantage of the developing country’s tax breaks. Romania is set to enter the European Union in 2007 and, according to Jeantex, the Romanian operation will give the company tax breaks from 39 to 80 percent on import taxes in the EU, a low corporate tax of 16 percent, low labor costs and easy access to distribution channels in eastern Europe.
Jeantex is also planning to add denim production capabilities to Eurotex to meet the market needs of the region.
