Jordache is the latest heritage brand to reawaken during logomania.
The brand found fame producing premier designer jeans in the ’70s, advertised on the most sought-after supermodels for two decades, and then summarily discarded during the ’90s and 2000s when the Jordache logo lost its luster. Since then, Jordache has diversified into a new portfolio that includes luxury resorts and even an airline. But, through it all, most people knew the Jordache name from its designer denim—or even the occasionally suggestive advertising used to sell it.
With the heritage logo trend and the revival of premium denim, there might be no better time than now for Jordache to make its move back into the hearts and minds of consumers.
The latest Jordache collection, which is exclusive to Barneys New York and Kith, features premium jeans available in a few different washes ranging from light indigo to black, and come in high-rise skinny and slim straight fits—priced from $195 to $355. If simply wearing Jordache jeans isn’t ’80s enough for you, the collection also includes a cropped trucker jacket, hoodie and T-shirt.
Rounding out the 40th anniversary lineup is a logo-jacquard denim coat, along with a reflective-coated denim jacket that will set you back $650 and $450, respectively.
Rivet spoke with Liz Berlinger, president of Jordache, about the new collection.
Rivet: What connection does the new premium line have with Jordache’s 40th anniversary? Are there any design elements that were inspired by the occasion?
LB: Jordache has such a rich history and it has always been a reference for designers. Recently we were seeing a resurgence of heritage brands so it seemed like the perfect timing to bring back a Jordache premium collection. The design of the premium line draws heavily on ideas, silhouettes and branding from Jordache’s past collections but with a more modern take.
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Rivet: With the revival of many legacy brands from the ’80s and ’90s, is this new collection an effort to catch on to that wave of nostalgia by reintroducing consumers to Jordache, one of the most iconic denim brands?
LB: Yes, it’s a great time for legacy brands. Jordache is iconic. With that in mind, we still took great care to be current. We updated the fits and fabrics and added new details but maintained the iconic DNA of the brand. The Jordache Look.
Rivet: Why choose Barneys and Kith as the first retailers to sell your new collection?
LB: Barneys is our main partner and leader in every way. They are a destination for premium denim and have a sophisticated fashion customer that we thought would respond to the new elevated designs. We knew it would be a great launch pad. Kith is also setting trends and heritage brands are connecting with their social media savvy customer.
Rivet: What makes this collection “premium?”
LB: This collection is being produced in Los Angeles, and uses premium denim and cutting-edge techniques. We brought on Benjamin Talley Smith who has designed for Re/Done, Rag & Bone and Helmut Lang to design the collection. The line draws on the current trends in the premium market with the use of custom logo’d fabrics, mixed denim and metallic, as well as some 3M reflective accents, and an update to the authentic silhouettes of the past in new fabrications and with new details.
Rivet: Any favorite styles from the collection that we could highlight for our readers?
LB: The indigo logo jacquard shrunken jacket and high rise slim jean. It’s a Japanese custom logo jacquard that comes in two colors, a rinse and a medium blue, worn together it has a vintage Jordache feel, but is also super relevant to the current logo trends.