It's All In The Jeans

"[Denim] is basically a blank canvas," says Kent Denim designer and Ark Apparel manufacturer Noah Landis. "There's no other fabric where you can wash it, rip it, bleach it, distress it, destroy it, paint it, and make something beautiful and charge more money."

The fact that denim is an ever-evolving fashion frontier is just one of the reasons Landis has such an affinity for the ubiquitous fabric. Indeed, two of the biggest trends to have emerged in the past year are both demin-based: the kaleidoscopic array of colored washes being presented alongside jeans adorned in floral patterns; once thought to be reserved for only the most daring stylists, they are now wardrobe staples for all. And the "Canadian Tuxedo" is back in such a big way that The Sartorialist, Scott Schuman, dedicated not one but two posts to the trend on his esteemed blog.

Photo courtesy of Ark Apparel

Of course another draw to jeans -- for Landis, Ralph Lauren and the everyday person -- is that nostalgic and endearing sense of Americana one feels just at the sight of denim. We remember the workers and farmers who donned the heavy cousin of cotton to build this country from the ground up and feed its people along the way. We think of how denim has stayed with us through the decades: gals in the 1950s feeling sexy, daring, and liberated from poodle skirts in their high-waisted jeans; rockstars of the 1960s decked out in denim as they gave a lost generation something to gather around, while motorcycle gangs of the same era let their insignia-adorned denim jackets crust over with the filth of life on the road; the never-big-enough bell bottoms that defined 1970s style; the shredded and acid-washed jeans of the 1980s and 1990s; and the myriad reiterations and innovations jeans have seen in the 21st century. All this and more drew a young Landis to his specific focus on denim design and construction when he channeled his passion for photography and styling into a love affair with fashion when he graduated from high school.

After growing up on a Northern California farm "literally in the middle of nowhere" (closest town: Placerville), Landis took his newfound adoration to San Francisco's Academy of Art University, where he earned a fashion design-focused Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2006. After working in production and manufacturing for Gap, Inc. for two years, Landis decided he "wanted to be more hands-on and see it go through the process instead of just writing reports" about apparel production. And so, five years ago, Kent Denim was born.

Noah Landis holding up one of the first pairs of jeans ever made under the Kent Denim label -- he gave
them to a friend and asked him to wear them religiously for four years and never wash them,creating
the actual wear pattern seen here. Landis will now create a new style of Kent jean imprinted with this
pattern. How to keep your jeans clean without washing them? Freeze them, of course: "I'm a denim
purist; I always freeze my jeans," Landis says, explaining that freezing kills bacteria, eliminating odor
without degrading the denim through countless washes.

The next big jacket trend to hit Kent denim -- though composed of one type of denim,
the sleeves were treated more than the body of the jacket, creating a matte look that
contrasts with the softer, more natural denim. "It's kind of top secret, but you can show it,"
fearless Landis said. "If you get too caught up thinking everyone's going to copy you,
that's just fear. If your designs do get copied, you know you're doing something right."

Designer Noah Landis shows off the latest graphic tank to join the Kent Denim family

Shortly after establishing Kent -- which features innovative, premium quality jeans, jackets, and tees for men, as well as adorable and vivid graphic tees for women -- Landis expanded his impact on the fashion industry by connecting with the manufacturing and consulting company Ark Apparel, and he began producing small-scale premium apparel for up-and-coming designers, again focusing on denim.

"Karl Lagerfeld designs for five lines," Landis said. "A real designer does not have a conflict of interest."

Indeed, Landis modeled his business after just such a multifaceted designer and personal inspiration of his, Renzo Rosso, the proclaimed "Jeans Genius" who founded and is the president of premium denim brand Diesel. Additionally, Rosso manufactured for two of Landis' other major fashion inspirations, DSquared2 and Vivienne Westwood (whose name was the first out of Landis' mouth when asked of his inspirations, without even a nanosecond's hesitation -- "That t-shirt with the chicken bones!" he swooned). More of Landis' inspirations are represented through the striking visuals on the Tumblr pages for both Kent and Ark; if it's high-energy, unconventional, unexpected, tattooed, darkly humorous, vintage, beautiful, thought-provoking, and memorable, it's in. "That's just what's going on in my head," Landis explained with a chuckle.

Inside the Ark Apparel factory (clockwise from top right): sewers hard at work in the larger of the two sewing rooms; inspirational collection book from Spring 2013 Paris and Milan shows; designer/manufacturer Noah Landis;
the cutting table; Landis working with selvedge denim

Since this past summer, Landis and fellow manufacturer Rocio Evanette ("He's my business husband, and he's a keeper," she said of Landis) spend four days per week working at their Vernon-based factory with a tight-knit crew of about five people who locally produce small-scale premium orders (average size is about 200 units) for up-and-coming designers. Though the focus is still on denim, the talented sewers can also produce garments with fabrics ranging from jersey to leather. Landis said the cost of local production of high-end fashion is "very competitive" with sometimes cheaper international production when the designer factors in the shipping costs and the possibility that the work could be done incorrectly the first time and would require repeats of the international process, as opposed to simply driving over to Vernon and having it corrected immediately in a cost-effective manner. Of course there's also the obvious boost to the American economy by keeping production local, and the support to up-and-coming American designers by providing an option for affordable small-scale production.

"Starting the factory was the easiest way to do what I wanted to do and help new designers," Landis said. "Because if you want to start a denim line, you should be able to."

And that's how you use the heart of Americana fashion to make the American Dream a reality.

On Noah Landis: shirt and jeans - Kent Denim, sunglasses - Gucci, belt - "This belt was released in 1969 when the Corvette first came out. I found it in a leather factory I was working in up in San Francisco and the owner let me have it for $5. I think he was high from all the leather fumes, but I took it!" said Landis; On Kyveli Sophia: shirt - Piko 1988, skirt - BCBG, belt - thrifted, braided leather cuff - found, earrings - BCBG