Blue of a Kind’s new collection is an example of what can be achieved in sustainable fashion when two likeminded companies vibe.
Known for its elevated line of upcycled women’s denim, Blue of a Kind is teaming with its Milanese neighbor, Candiani Denim, for a capsule collection of jeans made with the mill’s sample fabrics.
Each jean in the collection is made from a reworked Candiani sample jean with no additional washes. The line includes three styles for women and the brand’s first for men—the slim leg tapered Apollo—which Blue of a Kind founder Fabrizio Consoli said the brand worked for more than a year to perfect. The jean with a rock ‘n’ roll look has become popular with women seeking a true boyfriend fit, he added.
Extending the line to include men’s denim has been part of the brand’s blueprint from the very beginning, Consoli said, noting that additional fits are forthcoming.
“It was a natural turn for the brand, especially considering that men are usually loyal customers,” he said.
Landing on the perfect fit, he added, timed well with the launch of the Candiani kick-off. The jeans, which retail for about $330, debuted last month at Candiani Denim’s retail store in Milan.
Consoli met Candiani Denim owner Alberto Candiani at Kingpins Amsterdam in 2018 through a common friend who recognized synergies between the two sustainably-minded Italian brands. And in many ways, Consoli said the framework for the collaboration was already in place.
At Blue of a Kind, Consoli and his team were working “full-speed on a circular approach to vintage garments” and were looking for a chance to extend the reworked garments to include stock and leftover fabrics from industrial production. Meanwhile, Candiani Denim didn’t know what to do with its samples.
While Consoli typically looks for finished garments, he said Candiani’s samples are usually very interesting in terms of nuance and color. “At the end of the day, it’s just a different type of existing garments,” he said. “The idea to refit them ‘Blue of a Kind-style’ sounded great to [Candiani] and here we are.”
By knowing the exact source the fabrics, the Blue of a Kind x Candiani collection has the added cache of being wholly “Made in Italy” garments.
“That’s the cherry on the cake,” Consoli said. “Having a chance to work with a denim mill that produces all of its fabric in Italy allow us to keep our production process conveniently efficient and guarantees the best quality of our products.”
And in the spirit of offering a true Milanese product, Consoli said Blue of a Kind has managed to get to a point were all its rework is done not just in Italy, but even in a less than 30-mile radius from downtown Milan, where its headquarters is located. This achievement, he said, “sits very well” for a brand based on a tailoring and handcrafted processes.
“I imagine both sides view this as a long-term collaboration,” Consoli said. “There is so much a partnership like this can deliver.”