London-born Gerlan Marcel launched her Gerlan Jeans label in the spring of 2009. Her print-based collections have gained her international notoriety, and have been worn by esteemed babes worldwide – including Beyonce!
SS: How did the Gerlan Jeans label begin?
G: In my pre-teen years, my grandmother used to send me these pairs of over-printed jeans, or pairs where the front was black, the left was blue and the right side was red. So, I’ve always had this vision of printed jeans. Denim is just such a great fabric, and print works so well on it… taking something that is usually mass-produced and fusing it with couture ideas like attention to detail, hand sketching and deep consideration really makes a garment.
SS: Has Gerlan fashion been influenced by the places you have lived?
G: I was born in London, where I attended boarding school, but I was raised in Ohio so I kind of went back and forth between both worlds. England is definitely my second home, and that’s a large reason why I wanted to go to Central St Martins. Experiencing the ‘London lifestyle’ after having come from an all-American background was a massive shock, yet a source of inspiration for me – I didn’t even know about Paris runways when I arrived!
SS: So did your aesthetic alter after moving back to the US from London?
G: My aesthetic is constantly changing. I love things that are colourful and outrageous, but I think paying attention to details such as shape and making things flattering and chic has to be acknowledged. It’s showing people that print can be just as wearable as black, as long as it’s done in a certain way. There is a subtle difference in my work from season to season, but I think people can really tell when something is well thought-out rather than just ‘wacky’.
SS: How did you feel bringing your thing to NYC? It’s bright, fun and energetic (everything that NYC fashion industry isn’t) – were you nervous presenting your vision?
G: When I left London I moved to LA, working with Jeremy (Scott)… but I feel it lacked a certain humanity. NY has always been a base over the years, so it felt like the right place for me. We were in the midst of a financial crisis, so people really needed something uplifting, where they didn’t have to take themselves so seriously. I felt that NY needed that. It’s such a strange concept to me that colour and print is viewed as crazy and ‘kooky’. I have this huge obsession with the ‘90s and ‘80s – if you look at vintage American Vogues, colour was everywhere – we really need a new print and colour revolution!
SS: So how do you come up with graphics for your prints?
G: Sometimes it’s really clear – with the ganja print, I knew I wanted to represent in a way that I could mainstream the use of it as a symbol. Other times it will be more organic, like drawings inspired by the feeling of the season. It’s really important that the symbols or graphics are powerful.
SS: Do you have a muse?
G: I have so many muses – Dolly Parton is always on my mood board, as is Fran Drescher. I always have a muse that will influence or describe the mood and feel of that season.
SS: Music is often a huge influence on fashion designers – who gets you going?
G: Most of my collections will start with a song, artist or a video, so music is really important for me – music can tell the story. I have been really lucky to work with incredible artists like Kingdom. He did the soundtrack for my debut collection and the collection after that, and is definitely one of my major influences. I also work with New York vocal artist Michael Magna really well, and we have a really similar aesthetic. It’s amazing to have somebody to be able to create your vision with music.
SS: What’s the most challenging thing about running an independent label?
G: Right now, the most challenging thing is not having a business partner. It’s just me doing everything, and I would love to be able to concentrate solely on the design side of things… it’s a struggle when you have a vision but don’t have the funding to do exactly what you want. It’s great to make something incredible, but then figuring out how to mass produce it while remaining cost effective and without compromising the design is really hard. Also, I am trying to produce in much larger quantities than a lot of small labels are.
SS: You started a campaign to gain funding for S/S11 – why was that?
G: It’s a struggle to finance each season, and I ending up spending everything I had on my debut collection, so I knew I needed money to be able to pull S/S11 off the way I really wanted to. This was when I met with this guy who invented Kickstarter – I knew straight away that this was how I was going to raise the money. It also enables me to still have freedom in what I do, and that is so incredible for an independent designer.
SS: What do you see in the future for Gerlan Jeans?
G: Malls across the world for sure. I want it to be accessible to everyone, not just teens – anyone can wear print and colour, but it takes a lot longer for America to understand it and be ready for it. The next thing is Gerlan Jeans Bambino and Gerlan Jeans Home.
Words: Carly Ellis
