Italian denim label Replay launched a limited edition pair of jeans to mark its 25th anniversary last year, and the project has planted the seeds for the company’s latest venture.
Replay will introduce in its stores this spring Replay Collectors, a limited edition, high-end jeans line that management believes will reflect both the company’s quarter of a century of history and its future direction.
“The beginning came out of the idea of the 25th anniversary model,” said Marco Bortoletti, chief executive officer of Replay. “The idea was to give continuity to the success of that model and reinforce the idea and the roots of Replay, and create a longer-lasting project.”
Launched last June, the anniversary jean was a classic five-pocket style constructed of raw denim and packaged in its own Replay briefcase. The most prominent feature, however, was a gold-dipped silver button designed to be removed and used as a cuff link. Only 1,000 pieces, half women’s and half men’s, were produced, pushing the retail price to $501 in the U.S.
For the debut piece from the Replay Collectors line, management has opted to tap into the growing craze for environmentally friendly garments by introducing organic jeans, and carrying the organic philosophy throughout the project. The denim will be manufactured from organic cotton and washed with biodegradable Marseille soap. Metal rivets have been replaced by bar tacks and even the buttons are made of vegetable-tanned leather. The jeans will be packaged in recycled paper.
“Obviously, [organic] is a thing of huge importance right now throughout the world,” said Bortoletti. “The idea was that by doing this, Replay could make some small contribution in making people aware and sensitive to the issue.”
Bortoletti said Replay Collectors will come out with a new collection three or four times a year for the next two years. Unlike the anniversary jean, Replay Collectors will have a production of about 4,000 pieces and will be distributed to the nearly 200 Replay stores worldwide. Retail prices will be around 200 euros, or more than $264 at current exchange.