Let's do denim that speaks to the streets and luxury.
The Maurice Malone brand was relaunched at the August edition of the Liberty Fairs tradeshow in Las Vegas. By far, the most creative denim in the show belonged to the collaboration between Maurice Malone and Japan's Arimatsu Shibori-Some.
Arimatsu Shibori-Some is located in the town of Arimatsu, Japan, now known as Nagoya, and has been hand-dying textiles for over 400 years. The art of Shibori-Some, meaning "tie and die" goods, grew within the town rapidly. Together they collectively made garments for powerful regional lords and samurai warriors. Japanese designers like Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto have been inspired to express the art of shibori-some.
The collab of Maurice Malone and Arimatsu Shobri-Some sparked when the representative Kazuhito Imaeda, came into our Williamsburg, Brooklyn store to express interest in selling specialty scarves and collaborating with Williamsburg Garment Co., maker of American-made jeans. Time passed, and Maurice thought more could be done in a collaboration between the Maurice Malone brand. An inspirational drawing was made, and two months later, we're here!
"I didn't relaunch the brand to jump on the train of the recent 90's nostalgia trends," says Malone. "I did it because I felt the time was right. I fought long and hard against the industry trying to box me as Hip-Hop designer, as I expanded and ascended into designer collections. Seeing streetwear's impact on the luxury and designer areas, with my favorite designers to watch, Jerry Lorenzo of Fear of God, and Virgil Abloh of Off-White, inspired me to believe the designer market is welcoming to designers with a strong history in the Hip-Hop community."
"I love denim, and it disappoints me to see how much the interest and creativity of denim in streetwear have fallen," says Malone. "I've been in the better denim market since starting the Williamsburg Garment Company brand at the end of 2011, selling consumers who don't blink at the thought of paying $200 to $400 for jeans, because they expected the best quality, in clean, timeless designs. I also have to admit that; the Maurice Malone brand allows me to unleash my creative side. Primarily making denim basics over the past 8-years has been a bit restrained for me. With the relaunch, expect to see iconic styles updated in new techniques and fits to attract today's youth."
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