Ethical range of women's jeans to be launched at Hustle&Scout

A limited edition of new Canberra designed and made women’s jeans will be seen for the first time at the Hustle&Scout Twilight Fashion Market. Created by Louisa de Smet, of independent label Corr Blimey, the super cool, comfy jeans will be released in black with a gasoline coloured interior (adding a bit of pizazz when they’re folded up to form a cuff at the bottom).

The Strasse jeans (German for ‘street’) are made of Australian sourced denim. Although heavier in weight the fabric sculpts to the body, becoming the wearer’s best friend. ‘The more they’re worn, the more character they develop,’ says Louisa.

And these are no ordinary jeans, but then that’s no surprise given they’re made with tender loving care by Corr Blimey which has built a reputation for designing sculptural streetwear that stands out among the crowd—garments that truly stand out among the ‘oh-so-boring’, mass-produced garments flooding the market.

True to form, Louisa has created the jeans with Corr Blimey’s signature style on the waistband at the back—a notch in the band that is a heritage symbol from the label’s original jean design. They feature a new style of slim split pocket and special stitching. It all adds up to style without bulk. An added bonus is that buyers are supporting local design, which is why Corr Blimey suits the Hustle&Scout philosophy so well. Every garment is cut, sewn, pressed and delivered by the designer, staying true to the label’s ethical production approach.

The jeans are the first Corr Blimey has designed specifically for women in nearly 10 years. Louisa says women had started to experiment by wearing the label’s men’s jeans, including the Lymber Up style that were a hit on the runway at Fashfest, pulling the waist band up high on the body or folding it down for a different look. The response to the men’s jeans was so positive that Louisa decided to produce a super comfortable design just for the female form.

The design remains true to the inspiration behind Corr Blimey’s collection launched at Fashfest and entitled Berlin. The inspiration came from the trip Louisa took with her partner in life and business partner, Steven Wright—they both teach fashion at the Canberra Institute of Technology.  ‘The city has a pallet of rich contrasts, and we used this to inspire both the men’s and women’s wear in the Berlin collection,’ says Louisa. ‘The silhouettes incorporate texture and drape as well as our signature geometric shapes and the colour reflected what we saw in the city during our trip.’

The Strasse jeans will become a staple in Corr Blimey’s fashion offering and at one stage Louisa intends to trial ‘fly-free’ style of women’s jeans. ‘During the trial of the prototype we were pleased to see that the jeans fitting nicely around the “bum, which women love … for a smooth look,’ says Louisa.

Once the limited black quantities are snapped up, Louisa will produce the new design in the gasoline blue and sulphur gold fabric so popular with the men’s jeans. Corr Blimey is the only local designer to make jeans out of such denim. ‘The blue and sulphur is the last denim milled in Melbourne from Australian cotton,’ says Louisa. ‘We have about 60 metres of it so it’s worth its weight in gold to Corr Blimey and to those who buy a pair.’

At the 5 July Hustle&Scout Twilight Fashion Market, Louisa will be on hand to talk about the jeans and advise on how to wear them, as well as take orders.

 

Louisa de Smet