GUESS AGAIN
The quintessential American jeans label launches a tribute collection of its early design successes. John de Souza reports from Los Angeles.
The American label revives bestsellers from the ’80s and ’90s.
It’s the late ’80s, and America’s young and trendy are crazy for jeans by an upstart label with the provocative name of Guess. They may be double the price of regular denims, but every teen wants blues with that signature triangular logo on the back pocket.
What they love about the brand: its fashion-forward approach to denim, seasonal designs, innovative fabric treatments and washes. And its sexy, exclusive street cachet, derived from cutting-edge ad campaigns shot not in colour and standard studios, but in black-and-white, outdoorsy and atmospheric, featuring fresh, unknown faces.
Those campaigns were key in turning Guess – founded in 1981 by immigrant brothers Georges, Maurice, Armand and Paul Marciano – into a near-mythic label in less than 10 years, moving into men’s and children’s wear and accessories, expanding its retail chain to 19 stores and sales hitting an estimated US$575 million by 1990 (just over S$1 billion at the time).
It was youngest brother Paul who conceived the now-iconic campaigns in 1982, at the same time catapulting the Guess bombshell into the pop culture psyche and making many “Guess Girls” – like Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Eva Herzigova, Anna Nicole Smith, Carla Bruni, Karen Mulder and Shana Zadrick – supermodels. Sexy and provocative, the ads made Guess the most talked about brand in the country.
At the time, the designer jeans market was flagging. After thriving through the late ’70s, it had lost its lustre, and labels like Jordache and Gloria Vanderbilt seemed more mass than chic. But the Marcianos knew that there would always be a market for jeans – if you offered design tweaks every season, plus designer-label status.
In fact, the brothers had peddled denim back in their native France – they were raised in Marseilles. Beginning with men’s ties, they created a peasant blouse for women, then a dress, building their business piece by piece and eventually experimenting with denim. They sold mostly to stores in the south of France, then ventured into retail, opening 26 shops in the region. They did well for almost a decade. Then, they decided to seek their American dream.
Landing in LA, Georges and Maurice were smitten by the city’s lustre and casual glam, and bought a store in Beverly Hills. They took their company’s name from a billboard announcing a new McDonald’s burger, teasing onlookers with the query “Guess what’s in the new Mac?”. Maurice came up with the signature triangle and question mark, and the classic trademark was born.
The brothers started with the famous tightfitting, ankle-zipped style in soft, stonewashed hed denim called the Marilyn Jean – but it did d not enthuse buyers as stonewash was a new ew concept in the US. Undaunted, the brothers ers sent pairs of jeans to a few department stores tores and were delighted when Bloomingdale’s s in New York ordered 24 pairs. The Marilyn proved so sexy and fresh that the entire stock tock reportedly sold out within hours.
The brothers went on to introduce a series ries of hits in quick succession – the overalls, the he double denim, the button-fly – and Guess s was on its way to achieving cult brand status. atus. Georges’ and Maurice’s experience in denim enim product development in France proved key to churning new looks out of a wardrobe classic. assic.
Fast forward to S/S ’14: As a nod to its roots and heritage, Guess has launched the he Originals Collection of womenswear that draws inspiration from popular styles of the e ’80s and ’90s, and reinterprets current ones es with fresh fabric and wash treatments.
The denim-focused collection reintroduces uces styles made famous in past Guess ad campaigns, including sexy cropped jeans, button-fly jeans and shorts, classic high-waisters from 1981, overalls and “shortalls” (cropped overalls), pencil skirts and flares, all with the signature Guess triangular logo on the back pocket.
Other revivals: a classic varsity jacket, the white tie-front shirt, the lace dress like the one Claudia Schiffer famously wore in one ad campaign, rompers, black and white gingham, polka-dot and floral prints, eyelet and lace corsets and tops, and patchwork detailing.
Today, the company is run by just two brothers – Maurice, who is chairman and design head, and Paul, who is CEO and creative director. And the brand remains true to its DNA: fusing youthful West Coast ease and sensuality with a fashion edge.