Unemployed Denim

How one young woman’s creative vision brought DIY spirit to luxury denim

Concept & Styling: Liv Velarde and Alana Valko Hair: Liv Velarde and Alana Valko Makeup: Liv Velarde and Alana Valko Photographers: Benji Bear Layout Design: Sara Groenke Model: Caroline Hinnant

For most of the hipsters and music fans at Coachella, the festival is just an excuse to let loose, wear fringe and short shorts, and, of course, listen \W[WUMWN \PM_WZTL¼[UW[\NIUW][U][QKQIV[*]\NWZ;aLVMa1bMVI student at Cornell University when she attended the festival, Coachella turned into much more: in fact, it became the inspiration for her NI[PQWVKWUXIVa=VMUXTWaML,MVQU1VR][\W^MZIaMIZ\PMK][\WU denim brand has captured celebrity and media attention and formed I XI[[QWVI\M WVTQVMNIV JI[M<PQ[NITT 1bMV [XWSM\W;0-15IOIbQVM about her unexpected, dramatic rise from student to emerging fashion mogul — and walked us through her unique customization process as we collaborated on a denim jacket made M`KT][Q^MTaNWZ;0-1 In the years leading up to the Coachella visit that sparked her career, Izen had pursued fashion with singular drive and NWK][¹1LMÅVQ\MTaSVM_1IT_Ia[_IV\ML to be in fashion,” Izen explained in a phone interview from New York City, _PMZM\PM JZIVLQ[ JI[ML¹1SVM_QN  1 was passionate enough about it, it could \]ZVQV\W [WUM\PQVO JQOº ;PM¼L IT_Ia[ been obsessed, creating her own DIY clothing and interning in the fashion QVL][\Za\PZW]OPW]\KWTTMOM )[IV[\]LMV\I\+WZVMTT1bMV[\IZ\ML customizing her denim, adding trendy patches and detailing to jackets and [PWZ\[\WUISM\PMUUWZM]VQY]M;PM brought a pair of her customized denim shorts to Coachella and wore them around the desert, getting an outsized, enthusiastic reaction from festival-goers IVL [\aTM JTWOOMZ[ <PM [PWZ\[ _MZM an unexpected hit among Coachella’s bohemian, style-conscious crowd, and Izen even ended up on The Thread, NI[PQWVOQIV\6WZL[\ZWU¼[JTWO ?PMV1bMVZM\]ZVML\W+WZVMTTNWZPMZ[MVQWZaMIZPMZK]ZQW[Q\a_I[ piqued — would customized denim attract as much attention on campus as it did at the festival? She personalized an old jean jacket with her own name and, sure enough, girls on campus started asking Izen where she JW]OP\PMZ¹;aLVMaºRIKSM\?PMV [PM\WTL\PMU [PMUILMQ\PMZ[MTN \PMY]MZQM[KPIVOML¹/QZT[[\IZ\MLI[SQVOUM\WUISM[WUMRIKSM\[º[PM said, and these requests and the media attention at Coachella “started \PM_PMMT[\]ZVQVOQVUaJZIQVIVLR]UX[\IZ\MLM^MZa\PQVOº

Riding on this wave of student interest and commissions, Izen started =VMUXTWaML,MVQU_PQTM[PM_I[[\QTTÅVQ[PQVOPMZÅVITaMIZWN KWTTMOM She graduated without a job, inspiring the “unemployed” moniker as I\WVO]MQVKPMMS ZMNMZMVKM\W\PMJZIVL¼[JWTL ZQ[Sa [\IZ\?PQTM\PM company remained “Unemployed,” Izen didn’t for long, quickly landing IZM_IZLQVORWJQVJZIVLLM^MTWXUMV\)[PMZW_VKWUXIVaKWV\QV]ML to grow, eventually she had to choose between her salaried position WZIL^IVKQVOPMZJ][QVM[[¹1\R][\KWV\QV]ML\WQVKZMI[M 1\OW\\W\PM point where I had to make a decision,” [PMM`XTIQVML¹5ISQVOQ\IPWJJaWZI KWUXIVaº;PMKPW[M\PMTI\\MZTMI^QVO her job to pursue Unemployed Denim N]TT\QUM ?PQTM [PM TMN\ \W NWK][ ITT her time and energy on the business, Izen believes that all of her earlier work experiences in fashion, which ranged from events to public relations to branding, served her well as she was able to build her own company from the OZW]VL]X These days, Unemployed Denim has KWUM I TWVO _Ia NZWU \PI\ ÅZ[\ XIQZ WN  ,1A [PWZ\[ I\ +WIKPMTTI ¹?Q\P everything going on now, with everyone _IV\QVO\W JM I TQ\\TM LQٺMZMV\ IVL VW\ all wear the same thing, the customizing aspect is really great to make people [\IVL W]\º 1bMV [IQL ¹1 IT[W \PQVS Q\ PMTXML][[\IVLW]\I[IJZIVLº Izen was perfectly positioned to \ISM IL^IV\IOM WN  \PM \ZMVL WٺMZQVO a remarkable variety of denim and XI\KPM[ NWZ K][\WUMZ[ \W KPWW[M NZWU 5IVaWN \PM[M[\aTM[LZI_WV\PMTWVO PMTL )UMZQKIV \ZILQ\QWV WN  M^WT^QVO denim styles and designs, from boxy moto jackets to irreverent patches _Q\P KIK\Q TQX[ IVL \PM M^QT MaM 0MZ singular aesthetic takes inspiration from New York City’s many thrift shops and vintage fairs, where Izen loves “walking through vintage fairs and vintage stores, [and] being QV[XQZML Ja\PM [\aTM[\PI\ _MZM _WZV QV W\PMZ\QUM[º 1V IV QVL][\Za _PMZMQ\¼[QVKZMI[QVOTaLQٻK]T\\WLQٺMZMV\QI\MaW]ZJZIVLNZWUKWXaKI\ labels and generic styles, customization has become the magic bullet, allowing customers to create wholly unique clothing that expresses their personality, allowing companies like Unemployed Denim to distinguish \PMU[MT^M[NZWU\PMM^MZOZW_QVOV]UJMZWN ZM\IQTMZ[

Currently focused on internet shoppers who connect with Unemployed Denim through its website, the brand gives customers as much or as little KWV\ZWTW^MZ\PMQZKTW\PQVOI[\PMa_IV\;WUMQVLQ^QL]IT[LWM^MZa\PQVO themselves, selecting each and every patch, while others take a laissez faire approach and let Izen and her team create a customized jacket JI[MLWV\PMK][\WUMZ¼[\I[\M[IVLXZMNMZMVKM[-Q\PMZ_Ia\PMXZWKM[[ ¹ZMITTa[PW_[\PMK][\WUMZ¼[XMZ[WVITQ\aº[PM[IQL¹1¼UIT_Ia[M`KQ\ML \WJZQVO\WTQNM_PI\\PMa¼^MPILQV\PMQZPMILº Izen is often touched by the creativity and thoughtfulness that her customers put into their creations — their jackets are often intensely XMZ[WVIT ZMÆMK\QVO XWQV\[ WN  XZQLM IVL [\Z]OOTM TIVLUIZS UWUMV\[ IVLLMMXNZQMVL[PQX[;WUMK][\WUMZ[KWUMQVI[IOZW]X\WLM[QOVI jacket as a gift for a friend, selecting patches and words that express \PMQZ]VQY]MXMZ[WVITQ\aIVL\I[\M[7\PMZ[[MM\PMQZW_VRIKSM\I[ITQNM scrapbook, selecting patches that signify big moments and hopes for the future — some serious and some playful, like the car, lucky number, and XQbbIKWUJQVI\QWVWVMK][\WUMZKPW[MNWZPMZRIKSM\ -^MVIN\MZXMWXTMZMKMQ^M\PMQZRIKSM\[\PMKTW[MKWVVMK\QWV=VMUXTWaML ,MVQUNW[\MZ[_Q\PQ\[KTQMV\[LWM[V¼\NILM¹1\NWZU[IKWUU]VQ\aº1bMV said, “because customers are always interacting with the company on [WKQIT VM\_WZS[º +][\WUMZ[ _QTT [PW_ Wٺ\ PMQZ RIKSM\ \W NZQMVL[ IVL other social media users, a hallmark of the kind of interactive marketing \PI\ PI[ JMKWUM KWUUWVXTIKM 5WZM IVL UWZM [I\Q[ÅML K][\WUMZ[ post about their purchases, giving consumers power over which brands OM\I\\MV\QWV WV [WKQITUMLQI ;WNIZ\PQ[IXXZWIKP PI[ JMMV_WZSQVO QVKZMLQJTa_MTTNWZ=VMUXTWaML,MVQU_Q\PIN]TTÆMLOML[WKQITUMLQI KWUU]VQ\a[XZQVOQVO]XIZW]VL\PMJZIVL Riding on seemingly endless momentum from passionate, vocal K][\WUMZ[ \PM KWUXIVa PI[ OIQVML UMLQI IVL KMTMJZQ\a I\\MV\QWV 1bMV PI[TIVLML PQOP XZWÅTM KWTTIJWZI\QWV[_Q\P<PMWZa*M\KPM[IVL ;M^MV\MMV5IOIbQVM _Q\P UWZM QV\PM _WZS[ IVL UMLQI NMI\]ZM[ Ja 8MWXTM IVL :MÅVMZa! +MTMJZQ\QM[ NZWU )[PTMa /ZMMVM \W 3MVLITT 2MVVMZ \W 7TaUXQIV 5QTM[ +PIUTMa?I\[WV PI^M JMMV [XW\\ML QV K][\WUQbMLXQMKM[ ZIQ[QVO\PMXZWÅTMWN \PMJZIVLM^MVPQOPMZ?PQTM it may have seemed like an improbable vision when Izen founded the company as a college student, the young fashion lover’s fantasy is quickly becoming reality, and she plans to make custom luxury denim even more IٺWZLIJTMIKKM[[QJTMIVLQUIOQVI\Q^MNWZPMZMIOMZI]LQMVKM

By Merin McDivitt Layout by Sara Groenke