Nicolai Marciano was born in the mid-nineties of the last century, when Guess, the brand founded by his father and uncle in Los Angeles, was experiencing its golden age thanks to the sale of jeans and casual clothing in the United States and entered the European market . Last Tuesday in Florence, as part of Pitti Uomo – the 105th edition of the most important trade fair in the men's fashion industry – the young manager hosted an impressive exhibition at the Teatro del Maggio Fiorentino, showing his most ambitious project Date: the relaunch of Guess Jeans, the jeans line of the house, in a sustainable way. “It is one thing to create a new brand and quite another to rewrite the DNA of a company with 42 years of history, present in 100 countries and 1,500 stores,” he explains in an interview with EL PAÍS . “It was a challenge, but I have been involved with the brand for almost ten years and we came at the right time,” says the current creative director of Guess Jeans.
Key to this introduction is the garment that gives it its name: jeans. They were key to the brand's rise in 1981, when the French Marciano brothers launched their first models equipped with zippers at the ankles to highlight a more fitted silhouette. An empire was born and shortly afterwards they launched a variant that had until then been an artisanal rarity: stonewashed trousers. To preserve it, each garment was placed in washing machines, which used friction and hours of washing with pumice stones and chemicals to wear down the tough cotton fabric, making it easier to wear. It was a very expensive process, primarily because of the environmental cost.
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Hence the relevance of Marciano's new project, which restores this aspect through a technology patented by the Spanish company Jeanologia and over which Guess will have exclusive control for the next few years. This new process saves up to 80% of the water used in traditional washes through a method called Guess Airwash, which uses small air bubbles for wear and laser systems to achieve the jeans' different tones and wear.
The Guess Airwash method uses small air bubbles to wear the jeans, and a laser system allows for the different shades and wear characteristics of the garment. In the picture the company's exhibition in the Teatro del Maggio Fiorentino.matteo scazzosi
“We have the capacity and responsibility to work sustainably. I don't believe in sustainability as a marketing tool, but as a reality. “It wouldn’t make sense to just make a pair of jeans with Guess Airwash because we want to make a real impact,” says Marciano. This is how he explains the scope of this innovation: “It is a digital technology, it is not analog, so any factory that wants to use it must have this type of equipment.” But I think it is logical that this Guess Airwash movement will have a domino effect and become a trend across the industry. We believe this should be the new way of producing denim around the world. “Forty years ago, Guess led the process and innovation of stonewashing, and four decades later we are returning to the market with something that we believe closes the loop for the future.”
Nicolai Marciano, at the presentation “The Next 40 Years Of Denim”, organized by Guess Jeans at Pitti Uomo in Florence, on January 9th. Stefania M. D'Alessandro (Getty Images)
In addition to jeans available in different cuts and finishes, the new line offers a wardrobe inspired by relaxed American classics, with knitwear that aims to conquer the male audience. Nicolai Marciano, who is also responsible for developing new business areas at Guess, grew up in the heart of the brand founded by his family. Now 27, he started working for the company as an intern at 17, barely out of high school, and trained in various departments at the company before focusing on jeans. In theory, he knows the company better than anyone, but he admits to being surprised when he dug into its archives and discovered that, before it became a global fashion company with a predominantly female clientele, Guess was a casualwear phenomenon with American roots. a brand that had dressed several generations of young people. “We started as a denim brand from California and today I would say that we are perceived more as a European lifestyle brand,” analyzes the entrepreneur. “What we did in the eighties and nineties is a chapter that is practically missing from the brand today. For me and also for Paul [Marciano, su padre, cofundador de la marca] It’s less of a business decision and more of a personal decision where you can’t forget your roots.”
The Guess Airwash method saves up to 80% of the water used in traditional jeans washing.matteo scazzosi
In fact, this concern was already present in the first project led by Nicolai Marciano. In 2016, his collaboration with rapper A$AP Rocky as part of the Guess Originals line began this recreation of forgotten decades in the house's imagination. “Rocky had grown up in Harlem, surrounded by Guess, and had a very personal connection to the brand. The young people got it and were surprised to discover this facet of the brand, this youthful energy full of fun. It was the first creative project I contributed to the company, and it was a great case study.” In the first Guess Jeans collection, that energy – “American classics are on everyone's inspiration list today,” explains Marciano – is channeled to others Transfer garments, taking labels, zippers, details and designs from the files and reinterpreting them.
Presentation of the new Guess Jeans line at the Pitti Uomo trade fair in Florence.matteo scazzosi
The fact that the presentation of the new line took place in Florence is doubly significant. It was the Tuscan city where Guess began landing in Europe in 1993. “For me it is like my second home. I lived here for a while when I was 19 when I worked in the Italian Guess office,” explains the American. “Today almost 65% of our business takes place in Europe, so Florence is crucial for us. In addition, the presentation of this new line at Pitti Uomo is relevant because it is a trade fair with a strong focus on the product and this project is about ideas, innovation and production.”