NEW YORK — Wunderkind is turning its attention to denim.
In the Eighties, Wunderkind designer Wolfgang Joop created a denim collection under his former label, Joop, which he sold in 2001. But since he launched Wunderkind in spring 2005, he has refrained from designing a full denim line. That will change this fall.
Despite the current influx of labels into the premium denim category, Joop feels the timing couldn’t be better for his brand to enter the fray. It’s become the uniform of our lives, he said, adding that jeans are the sexiest accents in a woman’s wardrobe. The popularity of jeans, he continued, is due to the consumer’s need to break up the way she wears luxury items.
“We learned that with the comeback of the Chanel jacket,” he said. “Now, that jacket works with jeans. It wouldn’t work with a Chanel skirt.”
So, he said, there is a need in the denim category for well-made, fashionable, sleek jeans. Wunderkind denim is made entirely from Fujijama Japanese denim, a strong, stretch-free fabric that is durable and maintains its form. The denim collection is manufactured in Italy.
“Today, you see jeans that are ripped and rotten,” Joop said of the distressed denim trend that swept the denim category last spring. “For me, age is something that comes with time. And jeans, to me, represent strength.”
Styles range from a sleek drop-waisted denim dress to high-waisted trousers to four variations of a fitted blazer.
Jeans also come in four styles: a high-waisted crop, a low-waisted pencil leg, a classic straight leg and a flap pocket straight-leg style.
Wholesale prices range from about 130 to 600 euros, or $155 to $715 for jackets lined with fur. Joop said he will target specialty boutiques worldwide for distribution. The estimated wholesale volume for Europe and the U.S. in the first year is about $4 million.
Just don’t look for any embellishments, as they aren’t Joop’s style. He considers embellishments, such as sequins, “vulgar.”
“Overembellishments are useless,” the designer said.
Washes are kept simple and dark. Styles are offered in two washes: A dark, inky blue or black.
Related Articles
You May Also Like
“I like the neatness of the style,” Joop said. “Our jeans are refined, very ‘back to the basics.'”
Does he worry about the competition in the premium denim market?
“Take my credit card and call me when you find a pair of jeans that fit,” he said.