Introducing Handz, a new gender-free denim label
30/06/2022
The two denim specialists have worked together over the years and decided to team up to launch a brand that embodies their vision of the denim heritage and authenticity but with a creative and modern twist. The duo has chosen to develop a mostly gender-free collection, taking special care to design patterns that will truly fit both men and women. “In most cases, one of the two gets the bad end of the deal. Genderless jeans are most often men’s cuts in women’s sizes, and that doesn’t work for all women,” Mr Wröbel tells Inside Denim. “The patterns have been carefully crafted to accommodate women’s shapes in the smaller sizes and men’s in the larger sizes.”
The first collection, which is based on ‘staple’ must-have styles that are designed to last more than a single season, is being presented to buyers this summer, with deliveries planned for the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023. Each style, eight for women, eight for men, of which 12 are ‘gender-free’, is available in sizes W24 to 38. The young company is currently recruiting agents throughout Europe, and seeks to develop a traditional wholesale and brick and mortar business model.
The denim fabrics are mostly made by artisanal Japanese weavers, some made on authentic wooden shuttle selvedge looms, along with references sourced in Italy. True to their fondness for indigo and raw denim, Handz jeans are not faded, but offered in rinsed raw form. “The beauty of indigo in a raw denim is that it ages with the wearer to become truly personal,” says Mr Wröbel. This choice is also related to the sustainable thinking the duo embraces. The jeans are given a no-odour treatment by Polygiene, and do not need to be washed.
Handz takes the essence of indigo one step further by choosing double-dyed denim fabrics in which both the warp and weft are dyed indigo. “This is an exceptional indigo designed to last a long time,” says Mr Wröbel. The collection also features overdyed indigo jeans, which give the products a deeper and richer shade of blue, and which is said to not rub off.
Given the quality of the fabrics and manufacturing, the brand will have a premium positioning with retail prices ranging from €250 to 350.
Image credit: Patrick James Michel / HANDZ
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