Model Citizen: [city of others]

Once upon a time in a land far, far away, called Canada, there were two Steves. The two Steves wanted to make denim, so they traveled to Vegas, set up shop at an apparel tradeshow called POOL, were plucked from the myriads of want-to-be designers by one Peter Kim of Hudson Jean fame, shipped off to LA, and are now primed to be the next big thing in denim. And so [city of others] was born. Offering unpretentious, well-made, and expertly cut denim for men & women, the Steves describe their line “as a good complement. Simply what a good pair of jeans should be.” If you aren’t wearing [city of others] yet, you will be.

Jones N. Fay: Having met one Steve on a plane ride, I got a bit of the low-down on how you started…something about two idealistic artsy boys from Canada painting pictures & selling hand-made jeans at a trade show in Vegas…

City Of Others: Well, the idealistic artist boys painting in a trade show booth and selling hand-made jeans was about four years ago, and although many things have changed a few remain the same, one being that we are still Canadian. Why we started making jeans was because everyone we knew was making T-shirts. Steve and I started altering jeans in the attic of an old warehouse …we ripped them up and repaired them. We bought our entire town out of bleach and took over the local laundry mat for a few days. We then threw a big party/art show and sold enough jeans to pay off the party and get our selves to Vegas for the POOL show…Within a month we were introduced to the best denim manufacturer in LA who would then become our partner.

JNF: We couldn’t be happier that you came to LA . The line has a classic, simple, fresh style all your own… we want to wear it because you allow us to express our own style, rather than making us into a walking advert for your line. Do you agree?

COO: Yes, absolutely! In fact one way that we are showing this is in our new campaign for Spring 2009 entitled, “In a Fast Paced World” where [others] are standing still while the background of the image is full of motion blur and chaos. It’s this idea of being disconnected from the business of life around us even if only for a moment. And it’s in that place that they are, confident and most themselves.

JNF: The denim market is a tough one to crack, as it has been so over-saturated and over-priced in recent years, but you guys are seemingly making it look easy, and doing so with accessible price points. What do you think makes your brand stand out in the marketplace?

COO: [city of others], unlike a lot of premium denim brands does not want to be exclusive, rather we pride ourselves on being inclusive. Most brands use price to collect their customer from a certain social bracket. [city of others], on the other hand, has opened up it’s brackets.

JNF: Not only do you make us look great, charity seems to be at the heart of what you do, and in this business that is a rarity. Why was incorporating charity into your business so important to you?

COO: It is the foundation on which we want our community to be built on. Our culture is largely obsessed with consumerism and that’s never going to stop; and yet we feel like there is angst within the youth to get involved with what they see on the news and read about. We want [city of others] to either be a starting point for people or a natural fit. It’s a concept that will be foreign to some and a long awaited answer for others.

JNF: Let’s talk brackets. You refer to brackets as a “way to frame the things that are important or inspiring to you.” Obviously they frame your logo for this reason, but tell us more.

COO: We love the idea of giving the brand away, allowing [others] to create content as well as us, so it can become much more of a collaboration in that sense. The blank set of brackets symbolizes an invitation for other people to get involved. We are always asking people the question, “What’s in your brackets?”

JNF: What items from your closets are in your brackets?

Steve Opperman (COO): old brown leather work boots, a pair of raw [city of others] skinny jeans and a thrift store flannel.

Steve Dubbeldam (COO): deck shoes, some rolled [city of others] jeans and a tank top – cause it’s hot yo!

JNF: Favorite item from your line?

COO: The Stockholm skinny fit for men is in the overcast wash.

JNF: Best accessory to pair with COO jeans?

COO: An 18 foot scarf and a matching touque (a touque is exactly the same as a beanie but in Canada we call them touques) if you can pull the scarf/touque combo off with your [city of others] jeans then you are definitely in the COO CREW.

JNF: Any advice, fashion or otherwise, you would like to bestow upon us?

COO: Style is largely about confidence, good thing [city of others] jeans make you instantly 10 times hotter… no joke… don’t believe us? Go try a pair on. As for other advice… take a trip to Canada, you’ll dig it, you’ll probably come back and say, “Wow, everyone was so nice!”

JNF: What’s next for Steve, Steve and COO?

COO: The plan is to sell a lot of jeans and collaborate and progress along side a lot of other great people and companies.

“It’s important to be transparent because people can then see that we are authentic.”
-Steve Opperman & Steve Dubbledam [city of others].

Visit www.cityofothers.com for more on the jeans, the Steves & to learn how to become part of the COO crew. Check us out the rest of this interview at www.citizenla.com, and drop us a line at jones@citizenla.com.