michelle siwy

Change.  The time has come for women to have jeans that are designed, styled and crafted specifically for them.   A fashion industry professional I worked with several years ago once told me “at the end of the day, it’s all just denim.”

DB: What is your brand all about?

Making a statement.  Providing a unique experience.   American luxury and craftsmanship.  Giving women exactly what they need and even more of what they want.

DB: Who would be your ideal customer?

The woman who wants and knows that she deserves a better pair of jeans.  I honestly feel that every woman deserves a pair of my jeans.

DB: Your jeans have a uniqueness to them which I love, how would you describe them?

Well, I thank you for the compliment, this response from a woman is absolutely what drives me.  I’m very happy that you and others have noticed this uniqueness.  Each jean makes its own statement so I think it would be hard to give a specific description, so I’ll give you my two perspectives on that question.  I think in a broader sense they can be described as, if you can imagine, the next evolution of the denim jean.  Jeans that are made inside and out for the fit, design and style of today’s women.  They are so much more than just jeans and that’s why I call them ‘Ready-To-Wear Jeans’.  And to describe them perhaps as it pertains more to the aesthetics of the newest offerings of the collection, I’d simply have to say a sexy skinny silhouette that has been distressed, ripped and zipped to rock-star scale proportions!

DB: Zippers have been really popular on jeans, what made you want to put them on the knees and on the front of your jeans?

I’m very inspired by the idea force merger.  In this instance my desire was to use the zipper, which is traditionally used in a strictly functional way on jeans and forcing it in to a purely aesthetic role.  I’m very pleased with the outcome.  I think the knee will be a consistent focal point in my design.  The knee is the best place on a jean to make a strong statement.

DB: Are they comfortable on the knees? I can imagine kneeling down may be a little bit sore. I love the idea of using zippers etc for aesthetic purposes though, I am all for that!

That’s a great question because comfort is very, very important to me and I don’t want to just say yes without explaining why.  A lot of thought was given to the placement of the zippers for that very reason.  Here’s how I got the comfort issues to also marry with my design vision.  The zippers are placed to fall just slightly above the knee.  I then incorporated the shin patch, which falls just below the knee to achieve aesthetic detail as well as visually balance the leg.  So on most women the zipper won’t fall exactly on the knees.  In the event that the zippers do happen to fall on the knees there are a few other features at work.  The front leg panel design, the stretch in the denim fabric and the quality/thickness of the zippers which can also be opened to relieve pressure in that area.

DB: What is your inspiration when designing?

I find most of my inspiration away from jeans.  I  look for beautiful lines and great concepts in any/all forms of design.  I don’t really look at other jeans any more.  They don’t inspire me and  I don’t want to box myself into that way of thinking.  I have created a path that’s so exciting for me.  I’m opening the jean to all possibilities and I’ve only just begun.

DB: So do you get inspiration from things like nature or the city or maybe something else?

It truly is creating art for me.  I treat every jean like a work of art.  So inspiration comes from everything and nothing at all. Firstly, I look at my jean as being a part of a full women’s ready-to-wear collection more so than a jean in a contemporary or designer jean collection.  This gives me the same freedom to create as a Marc Jacobs, an Alexander Wang, a Phillip Lim.  And I’m very inspired by their work and by that of many other great designers as well.  Some times I look through fashion magazines for hours and sometimes I have visions in a dream that wake me up in the middle of the night.   I got the inspiration for the shin patch on the Harley Zip jeans because I love the sport of soccer.  Who would put a shin patch on a pair of women’s jeans?  But it works.  This is why, I’m very excited.  My thoughts, ideas and energy are growing stronger and stronger every day.  My thinking is free and bold.  Hopefully women will be able to identify with that.

DB: Tell us more about your cuts and washes!

I have to say the cuts are absolutely great.  I’m constantly working to improve even on this greatness.  The rear rise is slightly higher than the front rise for an enhancing fit without the plumber butt.  The front leg panels are contoured and smaller then the rear leg panels which give a long slimming effect to the legs.

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