Jeans. We all love them, but for many of us it’s hard to find that perfect pair. Insert Corr Blimey ‘Strasse Jeans’ and that love for denim comes flooding back..
Louisa de Smet, the designer behind independent Australian fashion label Corr Blimey, has come to our rescue and she is fighting the mass-production tide. She’s about to launch a new line of women’s jeans that are unique, well-made and truly local. “Yay!” we say!
‘Strasse jeans’ (German for ‘street’) are locally designed and locally made from a special, raw and long-lasting denim sourced in Australia. They’ll be initially released in a limited-edition black with a unique gasoline-coloured interior (very stylish when the jeans are folded up at the bottom to form a cute cuff!).
Although consumers are unaware, the lifespans of most jeans are halved during manufacturing when giving the impression of being well-worn at time of purchase. Manufacturers do this by incorporating elastin into the denim (to get stretch and a snug fit) which means the fabric wears out much more quickly. “Our jeans do the opposite,” says Louisa. “They take shape through long-lasting wear and are super comfortable.”
The jeans are the first Corr Blimey has designed specifically for women in nearly 10 years. Louisa says women had started to wear the label’s men’s jeans, including the Lymber Up style that caused a sensation on the catwalk for two years running at Fashfest.
“Women loved wearing the jeans, not just for the quality of the denim but the idea of wearing something local and truly different than the typical jean seen in retail outlets,” says Louisa. “They started to ask if we were ever going to create a style just for the female form. When the demand became great enough we started the design process.”
The design stays true to Corr Blimey’s signature look—sculptural streetwear that stands out in the crowd. The Strasse jeans were inspired, as was Corr Blimey’s latest Fashfest collection, by Louisa’s trip to Berlin with her partner in life and business, Steven Wright.
After the limited black quantities are sold Louisa will produce the new design in the gasoline blue (exterior) and sulphur gold (interior) fabric so popular with their men’s jeans. Corr Blimey is the only local designer to make jeans out of such denim.
Images: Photographer Alanna Bishop and Models Jen Dubois and Karen Brennan.
