Upscale Denim: Look to North Korea for Fall Jeans Fashion
Filed under: Apparel, Men's Style

With the latest in up-market jeans being readied for release, it's exciting to see what's in the pipeline. In this crowded space, look for the biggest noise to be made not by any fashion company you've pined over. Rather, the hottest denim on the market could be coming from the most unexpected place on earth ... by way of Scandinavia.
According to Financial Times, "As clean silhouettes and the much-feted new minimalism shape the autumn trends, it looks like denim will take an equally reductive route: out with slashed, stonewash, fussy 1980s styles and in with the basics." And you'll find this manufactured in North Korea.
FT continues:
Two years ago, a trio of young, twenty-something Swedes were invited by the government into North Korea to manufacture a national jeans line. Really. "Noko", as it was named, features two jeans styles for men and women: the Kara slim-fit and the Oke loose-fit ($215 plus shipping), both straight-cut and dark-wash, in keeping with the austere nightscapes of the designers' inspiration, Pyongyang.
The Noko styles are consistent with what is expected for autumn:
"For autumn, denim is very customer-friendly," says Lesley Torson of Trilogy, a London denim boutique. "It's dark, and washes are quite clean, giving it a more polished look." Meanwhile, the advent of styles such as the utilitarian cargo with convenient side pockets, the forgiving high-rise cut, and the faithful indigo boot-cut flare will offer something the premium jeans world hasn't seen for years: wearability.

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