Vintage-inspired denim from a heritage Italian brand
Over three decades of denim expertise lay the groundwork for Italian brand Jacob Cohën’s latest collection

The luxury denim market is booming, thanks to our circumstantial and ever-increasing need for casualwear. Fittingly, the S/S 2020 runways were awash with denim, and the wardrobe staple mined its heyday of the 60s and 70s for inspiration: high-waisted flares, vintage washes and cropped culottes. Bootcut at Celine and distressed at Givenchy, this timeless classic has yet again become the it-piece of the season.
Jacob Cohën – the 35-year-old Italian denim brand – is all about updated classics. ‘The 60s and 70s are the epitome of jeans – those were the years that made jeans iconic,' says Franco Catania, CEO of Giada spa. The parent company have been involved with every step of the brand’s journey since 2004 when designer Nicola Bardelle (son of brand founder Tato Bardelle) sought out the manufacturing prowess Giada spa to make his denim dream a reality.
Carving out a spot in the luxury fashion sector, providing high-quality jeans crafted by the artisans in Italy's ‘denim valley’ in the Veneto region, the brand has continuously innovated styles, processes and washes. In recent years the brand and moved to using less chemicals and water for their washes. With a variety of techniques and fabric treatments, its the richness and creativity of the finishes that set the brand apart. ‘Washes such as tie-dye or marble wash become the focus of the collection. While the shirts flaunt contrasting breast pockets, the jeans feature patch pockets on the back that have been moved to create a denim-on-denim colour effect,' says Catania.
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Never wavering from providing a versatile wardrobe, this season Jacob Cohën draws inspiration from the muses of the golden days of denim. The Beach Boys lay the foundation for the menswear line, providing a carefree Cali-vibe, bringing us to the prime of Redondo Beach or La Jolla Shores with surfers waxing down their boards and diving into the sea. As for the womenswear, it was all about Charlie's Angels-era Farah Fawcett and 70s fashion icon Marianne Faithfull and her quintessentially cool denim jackets, reimagined in the Jacob Cohën collection by a double-breasted denim blazer.
Dressed up or down, a pair of jeans is a lasting sartorial choice. Just like the poster children of the golden denim era, we’re becoming more relient on our jeans which justifies investing in something more special than the ordinary. Cohën is a good place to start.
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