Adriano Goldschmied, the “Godfather of denim,” is returning to his denim roots after a hiatus from the category with Acynetic: a new denim line with an athleisure feel comprised of approximately 25-pieces in a variety of fabrics, fits, and styles that’s available at Stylistico showroom in NYC. Likely responsible for many of your favorite jeans—from Diesel to AG Adriano Goldschmied to Replay and more—Adriano is back and better than ever.
You launched Acynetic a couple of years ago, but why are you now going back to denim?
With Acynetic, I’ve been very focused on innovation. I developed the line with a particular fabric, which is denim made with knit machines. It’s basically an indigo product that was given to us to design something that is in between the traditional denim and activewear. The lifestyle movement is changing and the demand is for comfortable items, so I focused on that. But honestly, I also realized that my customer is a real denim-lover, so I decided to extend the line and go back to my roots. I was really inspired by when I was designing denim in the ’90s. Today, the line is much more complete because I cover the complete needs of my customer. We go from super stretch fabric to a jean that has no stretch. Also, I had a noncompete with Citizens of Humanity that expired last December, so I couldn’t design traditional denim until afterward.
There are so many successful denim brands now, many of which you’ve been a part of. How will you compete?
We have a lot of know-how in terms of trends in denim and we feel like we’re better than the others in terms of bringing new design, new emotion, and new fits to the market. On the other side, it’s a very simple thing: I have a lot of experience in denim, and I feel like I could do simple things in a better way. The denim business is sometimes about revolution and sometimes about evolution. Evolution is about progressive and little improvements. In the past I introduced the super-stretch fabric, which was a revolution.
Why is it important for this line to have an athletic feel?
Every woman in America, more or less, has at least 20 jeans. The reality is you don’t really need anything new unless it’s really new. It needs to create an emotion and make the customer have an “I must have it” attitude. It’s the reason why you buy the iPhone 7 and you don’t keep the iPhone 6. If you don’t have the new one, you feel that you are out of trend, out of fashion, and you are not updated. Good or bad, that’s what’s driving the business today.
You were inspired by the 90s. Who are your favorite women of that time?
The best representation of that woman is probably Madonna. If you see pictures of her in jeans, they’re not sexy jeans today—it was a baggy fit. That product is very different from the new generation of denim. That’s the beauty of fashion—the rules are changing all the time.
How many pairs of jeans are in your closet?
I am not a good customer! Probably five or six pairs. I wear the same stuff all the time. I don’t go shopping—only vintage shopping at the flea markets. I buy Levi’s, but I never in my life wore something that I designed, and I never bought any designer brand. I am not a good example of a modern consumer.
Why don’t you wear your designs?
I just don’t want to be a bad example. I design for good-looking people, and I don’t consider myself a good model. Now that I’m getting older I feel better, but I never thought about being a fashion victim.
Got it! How’s life in LA treating you?
I think that Los Angeles is the place to be for many different reasons. There is no other city in the world where you can find so many different pieces in the vintage stores. Los Angeles is unique because it’s the place where there’s a lot of innovation in style life. If you think about the healthy lifestyle, there are so many things born in LA. In the end, we have to design what the people like to wear in the present time and in the future. Also, LA has had a very strong denim industry for the past 100 years. There’s a denim culture here. The factories, the people, the workers…they know how the construction of jean, how to wash it. In most places in the world today, it’s not possible to make a sample. Also, LA is is a communication machine. All the celebrities and models are here, and these are the people who are driving our business. With Instagram and the internet era, communication is so fast. It’s creating an environment that is totally unique. Don’t forget also that the people themselves just walking in the streets are so creative and can give you inspiration.
How do you see your brand expanding?
I want to focus on what I do best and create products that are connected to denim. People are asking for very focused and specialized products, so I need to remain focused and have Acynetic continue to be in the denim category.
