Decade designs clothes with natural fibres, ‘real body’ fit
The idea of slipping into the perfect pair of jeans, one with just the right rise and a lived-in vintage look, had always appealed to Molly Spittal.
But it was difficult to find a pair of 100 per cent cotton denim that would properly fit her “curvy” shape. Frustrated with not finding anything, and not willing to face yet another battle in the fitting room with an off-the-rack pair, she decided to create her own. A jean that would fit her shape perfectly.
So, Spittal — along with co-founders Morgan Ellis, Ezra Kish and Matthew Atkinstall — created Decade, a clothing company that focuses on creating well-made garments that are meant to last, both in quality and style, for years. Oh, and that fit non “fit-model” shapes, too.
We caught up with Spittal, creative director of Decade, to learn more.
Q For those who aren’t familiar, what is Decade?
A Decade is a new line of wardrobe essentials with a focus on denim, thoughtfully designed in Montreal and made in Portugal by a team of skilled artisans.
Q When and why did you start the line?
A Decade launched its first season for spring in March 2019. My experiences shopping for jeans informed my decisions when conceptualizing the collection. Clothing — especially jeans — that fits my body type is very difficult to find. I’m curvy, and most brands use an industry standard fit model which is a totally unrelatable body type for the average woman. I felt a strong desire to offer something for women who have never had a pair of jeans fit perfectly without taking them to a tailor to nip in the waist.
Q Who’s your target customer? A Our customer is anyone who has suffered from the dreaded “gape” at the waist. The ratio between waist and hip of our Bonnie jeans is changing the game for a lot of women because there’s finally room in the hips and the waist is cinched in to fit curves properly. Our heavy denim feels like you’re strapping on a pair of vintage Wranglers, but we’re offering a totally updated fit with a super high 14-inch rise. I’ve been hearing from a lot of our customers that we’ve restored their faith in jeans.
Q I love that your collection fits on “real” body shapes. What more can you share about this?
A It’s all about the waist to hip ratio. The difference between my waist and hip measurements is 13 inches, most denim is made to fit a ratio of about 9.5 inches. If I buy a garment, especially jeans, that fits my hips, the waist is way too big because of the straighter ratio. It’s really frustrating, and I heard that same comment over and over again while doing market research in the early conception of the line. As someone who chooses to wear natural fibres only, another layer of problems is introduced. A lot of brands use a percentage of elastane in their denim in order to fit as many body types as possible with one pattern. My objective with Decade jeans is to bring everything back to basics, using 100 per cent cotton heavyweight denim.