Ben Taverniti, who established Hudson Jeans as a chief purveyor of luxe denim in the early 2000s in Los Angeles, and went on to design the celeb-loved cult label Unravel Project under New Guards Group, is back with a new project — Bureau de Stil.
He first launched the label in March 2020, but got derailed by COVID-19.
“It was kind of a blessing in disguise because I was able to reset a little. Because for the last 10 to 15 years, I was just going, going, going,” he said Sunday at Paris Fashion Week, where he showed the collection by appointment.
The contemporary brand is heavy on denim, leather, jersey and casual versatile layering pieces with the same cool girl vibe that’s made Unravel a favorite with Kendall Jenner, Gigi and Bella Hadid and the Kardashians over the years. Touchstones include Brutalist architecture, techno, transit and transportation, Hollywood grit and glam.
“I’m playing with all my archetypes that people know, but with a freedom, a timelessness and not necessarily being so fashion and seasonal. The idea is to be able to wear things in different ways, to play with it and create your own style,” said Taverniti, proving his point about the power of styling in how he was wearing his own Supreme sweatshirt over his head like a scarf, with the sleeves hanging.
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A short-sleeve T-shirt dress could be worn in multiple ways, he said, demonstrating how a slit near the neckline opened up the possibility to wear it as a tank style with the short sleeves folded in, for example. And a denim trenchcoat could be unzipped into a tailcoat, a cropped jacket and a skirt. And a strapless jumpsuit with an elastic band top had the easy drape of a dress and the look of oversize men’s sweatpants.
Laced front jeans, bomber jackets and cropped T-shirts with attached bodysuits also looked good.
Although the business is based in L.A., Taverniti is developing denim in the south of Italy, while the rest is being designed in Milan, and he’s using his Italian-French sensibility to elevate the casual California lifestyle.
As for the name, it’s a play on words referencing the early 20th century De Stijl Dutch art movement characterized by a reduction to essential lines and shapes. “I love the idea that this is a lab of creation and craft,” he said.
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