By: Serene Low and Deborah Koh

 

Bursting with designs that are right outside the fashion label’s iconic blue box is Gap’s fall collection, 1969: L.A. and Beyond, which takes denim beyond just jeans.

Built around the concept of “jeanswear meets sportswear”, it’s a showcase of the variety of ways you can wear denim – not just on your legs, but alllllll over.

Tailored dress shirts and stretch leggings will come in a range of sophisticated fabrics and colours, with one defining characteristic: a modern, sexy vibe that emphasises a lifestyle of denim.

And that’s why Gap’s looking at the 1969: L.A. and Beyond collection from the inside out – starting with the designers and their own unique personalities.

Led by creative designer Rosella Giuliani, the team’s made up of artists, musicians, sports junkies, and trendsetters who combine their talents to create the latest in denim fits, fabrics, and washes.

For example, women’s design director Nicole King-Burroughs often turns to art for design inspiration while Masako Konishi, the women’s merchant, believe fashion as more instinct than intellect, and makes fashion choices based on her emotions.

Wash specialist Rob Crews, who started in the industry at 16 years of age, had taken to the process of making raw denim look different using different treatments.

Jason Ferro brings his own background as a skater, surfer and musician as the men’s design director, and men’s merchant Cale Margo uses denim to tell a modern and progressive story.

The 1969 team all find inspiration in an open loft studio in downtown Los Angeles crammed with art books, mood boards, vintage buttons, catalogues, and all kinds of odds and ends that catch their fancy.

And here’s what they’ve come up with this fall: the gummy leggings and skinny boot cut for the ladies, and the super skinny and the slouchy slim for men.


Gap’s 1969: L.A. and Beyond collection ranges in price from $99 to $139 for basic and fashion-forward styles, and will be available at Gap stores islandwide.

Visit facebook.com/gapsingapore for more information and videos on the jeans, and keep checking theurbanwire.com to find out how you can win a pair of Gap 1969 jeans!