Teen Vogue has posted a new interview with Gwen in which she discusses her new clothing line with denim expert Michael Glasser,DWP (Design With Purpose), which according to the article will debut its spring collection at boutiques, Shopbop and Revolve this week-how exciting! Gwen is quoted as saying about the line, ”The jeans world is very different from what I do with L.A.M.B. Michael works out of LA, so the factory is right here. It’s really fun and creative because you can literally take things out of your closet and do experiments on them. The pieces look so unique, yet they’re so simple.” The 18-piece spring collection, which retails from $180 to $250, features stylish high-low tanks, moto vests and blouses with cuffed sleeves, crop tops and slouchy, cropped trousers made from Tencel, an eco-friendly fabric. Gwen had shared behind-the-scenes photos from the lookbook shoot last month.
In the new interview Gwen also recalls her famous 2003 Teen Vogue cover shoot that was shot by photographer Herb Ritts,saying that it was a ”magical day”: “I had just met [photographer] Herb Ritts, and he’s the kind of person who has a sparkly halo around him. I was like, ‘Oh wow, I’m gonna be friends with this guy.’ We went down to Malibu and shot at the beach, and I think the pictures turned out to be so classic. I look back at them now and know that I was so lucky to work with him.”
She also reminisces about her eclectic teenage style and how she made dresses for her own prom and Tony’s, and gives some wonderful advice to teenagers who may be suffering with the same love and body image issues that she once did: “I suffered a lot with love and body image and all the normal things you deal with as a teenager. But it goes by and then you don’t have those problems anymore. Hang in there because it’s not going to last, and it all makes you stronger. I had a lot of fun and I was a real goody two-shoes—I don’t regret that one bit.”
We love Gwen’s new Teen Vogue interview and can’t wait to shop the DWP Spring collection!
When it comes to jeans, the choices can feel limited to skinny five-pocket styles with the occasional boyfriend fit or two thrown in. Design with Purpose (also known as DWP), a new line by Gwen Stefani and 7 for All Mankind co-founder Michael Glasser, wants to give you some new options. The debut spring collection features fabric that’s been treated as denim in an array of California-cool washes. The result? Soft, nearly-sweatpant bottoms that you can wear wherever.
”The jeans world is very different from what I do with L.A.M.B.,” Gwen told us. “Michael works out of LA, so the factory is right here. It’s really fun and creative because you can literally take things out of your closet and do experiments on them.”
Michael’s extensive industry experience allowed Gwen to focus completely on the creative end, and the entire design process took only eight weeks from start to finish. Production involves treating Tencel (a soft fabric made from wood pulp) with a variety of processes traditionally reserved for jeans. For example, waxed styles are spray-painted by hand, washed, and baked to achieve a leather-look effect. “The pieces look so unique, yet they’re so simple,” Gwen said. “They’re just a baggy pair of pants—something I’ve worn my entire life—but I know they’ll be your everyday staple.” Other items in the inaugural collection include easy-breezy tops, a ruffled dress, and even a couple of jumpsuits.
On the topic of Gwen’s style, she’s had plenty of memorable fashion moments. Between rocking the red carpet in her own bold L.A.M.B. designs and sporting Harajuku-inspired headpieces, she’s always got some serious swagger. And in 2003, right before the release of her “Hollaback Girl” video (which featured a rad uniform of crop top, beanie, and major red lips), Gwen graced the very first cover of Teen Vogue in a timeless striped sweater.
“How could I forget that shoot? It was a magical day,” Gwen said. “I had just met [photographer] Herb Ritts, and he’s the kind of person who has a sparkly halo around him. I was like, ‘Oh wow, I’m gonna be friends with this guy.’ We went down to Malibu and shot at the beach, and I think the pictures turned out to be so classic. I look back at them now and know that I was so lucky to work with him.”
But what’s her off-set (and out-of-the-spotlight) look like? “Part of me is always going to have the same reference points and inspiration—a little bit of English girl, a little bit of Orange County chola, and a bit of a Jamaican Rasta vibe,” she said. Even her teen style was eclectic: “I actually went to two proms. For the first one, I wore a dress that my mom and I recreated. It was the same dress Grace Kelly wore in Rear Window. It had a black velvet top with a white chiffon skirt—very ’50s—with black sequin leaves on the bottom. It obviously didn’t turn out as good as hers because I wasn’t a great sewer in 12th grade! And because I started dating Tony [Kanal, No Doubt’s bassist] who was a year younger than me, I got to go to his prom too. I had to be home at midnight and I had already graduated, so it was kind of anticlimactic. I wore a very ’80s look: a drop-waist black and white dress with little bows on it—something I would probably even wear now.”
It isn’t just her high school style Gwen can look back and reflect on now. “I suffered a lot with love and body image and all the normal things you deal with as a teenager,” she said. “But it goes by and then you don’t have those problems anymore. Hang in there because it’s not going to last, and it all makes you stronger. I had a lot of fun and I was a real goody two-shoes—I don’t regret that one bit.”
DWP’s debut collection hits boutiques, Shopbop, and Revolve this week.