story by Charles Beckwith
photos by John Lamparski and Charles Beckwith
I first met Gerlan Marcel at one of the trade shows last season. She was sitting at a table in the corridor outside Showroom Seven, surrounded by wildly colored garments with an odd texture. It turned out they were all printed denim. It was mostly printed denim jeans and jackets, some things that looked like sweat pants, but not a whole range really.
A lot of it looked like pajamas. Overall what I saw then looked like a fragment of a collection. It was interesting, but there were no statement pieces. Now, more recently, at the Audi Center for her spring-summer 2010 collection show, I saw more confidence, stronger lines, a greater variety of print patterns, and a much more considered voice. There were more risks taken, and though the fingerprint of what I saw before was still there, this was new, and there was obviously some editing that had gone on since she showed her first collection at Patricia Fields’ house last season.
The show itself was look after look of color, sex appeal, urban chic, and confidence.
Gerlan translated her graphic sensibilities into unique total-package looks for the models.
I had the opportunity to speak with the designer after the show…
modaCYCLE — What was your goal with this specific collection?
Gerlan Marcel — It was really about the freedom to express yourself and the power to take down boundaries and really see nothing as an obstacle.
modaCYCLE — What were your inspirations and what struggles did you face to reach that goal?
Gerlan Marcel — I think for young designers it is a real struggle to financially be able to pull something like this off season after season after season, and you know when you’re creatively and emotionally attached to doing something and your heart’s really in it, it’s like you’ll do anything to make it happen and it’s kind of about that spirit. Just taking life by the horns and saying, ‘you know what there’s no such thing as a setback.’ It’s only, you know, positive.
modaCYCLE — The name of the label is Gerlan Jeans, but it’s not just jeans. Tell me about that, about your whole focus.
Gerlan Marcel — The original inspiration for ‘jeans’ was kind of the idea of you know um basically taking a label and making it affordable and creative so like Versace Jeans or Esprit Jeans, or it being the more affordable and accessible line. And I also have such a love for printed denim, I felt like there wasn’t really, you know, a place out there that you could really get it, and so it was about taking denim to this printed place, but ‘jeans’ in the meaning of also, like, sportswear.
