Although this last year has seen a veritable rash of premium denim retailers popping up all over town, Gap's Fall '09 collection of 1969 denim is out to give them a run for their money, literally.
This morning at their Fifth Avenue flagship, we chatted with Gap Head Designer Patrick Robinson over iced coffee, and discovered a few things which not only make the collection environmentally responsible, but truly desirable to those used to ponying up $250+ for jeans.
It's all in the fit, says Patrick, commenting on the way that Gap has completely reworked their patterns to be more modern and yet feel as though you've had them for years. There are 7 fits for men and 6 for women, of course ranging from skinny to boot-cut, to Patrick's favorite—the authentic.
Patrick even highlighted their eco-responsibility. "What you don't realize is that we have probably 100 factories in any given country, and because of our large scale and need to be aware, we've installed water treatment plants. Water leaving our factory is now much cleaner and safer than it was coming in." This fact is even printed inside the pocket lining of the pairs, along with care instructions and the fact that each pair is 98% cotton and 2% spandex for stretch.
Even though all pairs are under $70, they still have the trendier fits like the boyfriend jean, and even some "destructed" pairs—pre-beaten and ready to conform to your body with a few rips and holes here and there.
So what's next for Patrick Robinson and the 1969 denim? Well, Patrick will be staging a Gap runway show in Tokyo soon, but starting today you can check out the 1969 line both inside Gap stores and at the Gap Pop-Up space on Fifth. According to Ryan, the awesome guy who runs the pop-up shop and turned the shop around in 24 hours, it's "just all denim denim denim." Even more so if you head to the Robertson Blvd pop-up in LA; here, Gap has been super ballsy in snuggling right up to those $250+ premium denim stores.
