Sunday, December 4, 2011

COMUNE Clothing: Just the right mix



Coming of age in a post-dot-com explosion world, COMUNE is part of a wave of apparel brands that have had an equal but opposite reaction to a hyper-technological, borderless world. Hence, the Southern California-based apparel company, which turns three years old this August, seeks inspiration from the local community and strives to deepen those connections with each of their collections.

With a focus on starkly colored denim, woven tops, hoodies and tees, the line has a utilitarian feel, while its design philosophy is rooted from the early 2000s streetwear movement and, to a greater degree, the simple lines and cuts associated with “Americana” brands, like Levi’s, Penfield and Carhartt. Prices range from $20 at retail for a cotton tee to $80 for an all-cotton, hooded jacket, all manufactured in China, Mexico and local LA factories. When asked about their brand, founder Sven Altmetz lays it down saying:
“We always wanted to have a really nice product we could wear and have our friends wear. From the start we have always found the market almost tells you what to do.”




In an apparel environment filled with ambitious young entrepreneurs hustling to transform a screened-tee part-time gig into a full-time cut-and-sewn–label career, COMUNE continues to stand out from the pack.  On the surface it may appear to be all about good times and creativity, but on the back end its serious about doing business, nurturing its relationships with some of the industry’s most influential retailers, including American Rag, the online retailer Karmaloop, Nordstrom, Oak NYC and Urban Outfitters. It also has a knack for delivering the right merchandise at the right point in time. Something that few brands manage to do correctly.




Furthermore, having established success in lower price points, per retail request, COMUNE has also begun offering a premium collection of American-made denim, plus leather jackets and boots, manufactured in Mexico. Jacob McCabe, creative director and designer, comments on the premium line stating:

“The premium line is just nicer quality. The jacket, the jeans and the boots, you can look at it and tell."

Having both a lower price point which makes retailers happy, as well as a premium line that caters to the more design/quality driven market, COMUNE is apple to capture two market at once. This type of business model is very foreign in todays climate, because brands are either focusing on one side of the spectrum.

In addition, all of this activity has necessitated a change of venue. In June, COMUNE moved its headquarters from Costa Mesa to a Los Angeles office loft housed in a former fish cannery factory, providing the young company and its 12 employees with more space to grow. The location, in the city’s Art District, is also fertile ground for inspiration, so much so, that COMUNE decided to launch a program to support local artists. For instance, COMUNE runs an artist residency program, which enables contributors to live on the brand’s campus while showing their art. As part of the program, the company formed the Drop City label, a thrice-yearly collection of tees created in collaboration with the artists who have exhibited in the gallery. Recently the space showcased the work of photographer Ray Gordon, whose image themes are “ bikes, hot rods, hot girls, and partied out dudes.”
Given that the company believes in connecting people to their passion, it seems fitting that COMUNE is going in a new direction, too. For example, in a brief few months, it has begun to strengthen its connections with the surrounding LA manufacturing community, which both creates jobs in a city in dire need of them, as well as provides them with unlimited inspiration and hands on production capabilities.
COMUNE is pushing to increase domestic production (by using cotton and fabrics milled here in Los Angeles), which can be thought of a lost art in the apparel industry today. Not only are they producing quality collections at a reasonable price point, they are working to improve the community, foster creativity, and have a great time in doing so. Quite frankly, that is the perfect mix.


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