DENIMCRATIC, the Los Angeles-based bespoke denim brand, is bringing atelier-level craftsmanship to upcycled baby blues. The designer, Gabriella Meyers, has created a name for herself in the upcycling scene with a jam-packed roster of celebrity clients featuring stars like SZA, Camilla Cabello, Jelly Roll, and Cardi B. Meyers’ designs are always bold, sexy, and impeccably tailored. Display Copy recently had the chance to sit down with Meyers to discuss her design journey and hear some of her thoughts around upcycling, sustainability, and getting out the vote.
Display Copy: Not every designer is interested in making the old new again. How did you develop your niche?
Gabriella: I’ve been a creative person since I was little. I was always drawing and painting and when I was 10 I got my first sewing machine. My mom showed me the basics and was like, “there you go, now you can sew!” Later in high school I would cut up all my clothes to refashion them into different things and my mom would get so mad at me. Which is funny because now that's literally what I do. [laughs] Everything comes full circle.
I didn’t actually revisit sewing again until later in college at the University of Michigan. Initially, I was studying animation but then I did a hard segue senior year into textile design and fashion. I got an internship for a Chicago-based designer named Laura Petrielli at her business Vex Clothing and I worked for her all summer. She does latex design. It wasn't like an internship in New York where I'd probably be getting coffees and making copies and that kind of thing. Very quickly she had me working on design software programs, creating patterns and using laser engravers. She's kind of a one-woman-show and is very hands-on with her work which is pretty much how my business is run now. She also does a lot of custom made-to-order pieces for performers and people in the entertainment industry. By the end of the summer we had designed all of these pieces for Beyoncé on her Lemonade Tour. So when I was back in school, I got to see Beyonce wearing some of the designs I worked on which was so fun.
I spent my last year focusing on textile design and continuing to work with latex; learning more about digital fabrication and 3D printing because I wanted to understand the whole process. But after a while, I switched mediums because I couldn’t really resonate with the fabric. It didn’t speak to me. I don't wear latex, so I don't have a relationship with it. I decided to work with denim because I wear jeans every day. There's also a great story behind the democratization of the blue jean in our country; it used to be a working class commodity and has since evolved into being something that’s worn across all demographics of people.
That’s when I started to seriously get back into sewing. My friends were coming into my studio and trying on my upcycled designs and then wanting to buy them—so after I graduated I just decided that I wanted to try and start the brand. I moved home to Chicago and lived with my parents for a while to save money and focus on work, then in 2021 I moved to California. I’ve always wanted to keep production local, so being based somewhere that has more accessibility for sourcing and development and sewing has been really positive for the brand. I still work with my patternmaker from Chicago, she’s been with me since the beginning and is actually here with me right now working.
Display Copy: So now that you’re based in LA, what does your team look like?
Gabriella: Our team is pretty small. I do the design work and manage the brand. My mom does accounting and project management. I have someone that helps me with social media and our rental system for stylists and other people in the industry. Everyone else is contract-based—I have a pattern maker, a seamstress, and other contractors that I use downtown. It just depends on what kind of project comes in. You really have to find the right people who want to work with you because sometimes the deadlines are crazy. I'll get a call and the client will need the piece by the end of day tomorrow; which means pattern making, sourcing, and sewing. But I’m grateful to have found people who are willing to work on those kinds of projects with me—they have a history of sewing for TV shows like Dancing with the Stars so they understand that sometimes we get night shift turnarounds.
Display Copy: With a growing list of celebrity clients and bespoke design projects, how has your creative process changed?
Gabriella: I currently do two different types of design. There's designing for the client and then my own creations for the brand. I’m definitely someone who likes to do my field research—I don't love shopping on Depop, but I do love looking on there. It's a really good tell as to where the market is for Gen Z and it tends to be a little bit ahead of the trends too.
I’ve been doing a lot of stuff recently for Jelly Roll and that's been really fun because he and his stylist, Krista, are very open to ideas so I've been able to dive further in my craft. It’s given me the opportunity to learn different wash and pattern techniques which has been really creatively liberating.
I actually think my designs have gotten a bit edgier since I've moved to LA. There’s kind of this “chic-trashy” vibe here. I’m doing more distressing, which before I thought was very kitsch, but I’m doing it in a considered way. I fortunately haven’t had to do a ton of my sourcing here because I have an entire storage unit of denim that I just stock up on when I go home. My parents live in Colorado now so when I drive there I’ll find Levi’s along the way for $1.99. It’s just not like that in any metropolitan city. [laughs] We've also partnered up with a couple places who bundle their donations and then I pay them by the trash bag when I’m in town.
Display Copy: Where do you feel like DENIMCRATIC fits within the contemporary upcycling world?
Gabriella: My pattern maker and I are both huge perfectionists. She's the one who's taught me all of my tailoring skills so we're very particular. We pride ourselves on having a very tailored look. I want things to feel upcycled but since they're done in such a beautifully crafted way you're almost like, “Wait, is that upcycled?” I remember meeting with some contractors in the beginning of my brand and they literally told me that I was crazy. They said, “no one is ever going to want to help you with this.” Obviously the industry has changed a lot since then.
Everyone knows that nowadays “sustainable” is such a loose term. I think that really what the customer needs right now is full transparency. Designers should be able to tell their customers about their design process and why they operate in a certain way. For example, at DENIMCRATIC, we pride ourselves on being made-to-order so that we don't have a surplus of garments being made or leftover materials. Why are we made in the USA? Well, because we have quick turnarounds and everyone is getting paid fair wages with safe working environments.
Display Copy: How else do you see sustainable design progressing in the future?
Gabriella: I do some consulting work for a denim designer here, his name is Adriano Goldschmied and he started AG jeans. He was also one of the founders of Diesel and has built a lot of denim companies. It's been insightful to work for him because he's been in the industry for a long time and he’s a big proponent of innovation. For example, with upcycling, we’re reusing the waste, but how are we going to fix the waste problem? A lot of denim right now is being blended with hemp or TENCEL so it’s biodegradable and designers are starting to use buttons made out of plants. I want to keep myself aligned with where the innovation is going and make sure that translates to the customer.
Display Copy: Will you be doing any projects around the upcoming 2024 election?
Gabriella: Yes, we’re starting to do some work for the upcoming election now! I can’t say too much but last time we did our Voting is Hot campaign which was really successful. We’re partnering up with a few organizations this year to really get the message out and encourage people to head to the polls this Fall. Stay tuned!
Wait. Sorry. This is so funny. I literally just got a text from a random person saying, “I've given you used jeans in the past, do you still need some?” [laughs]
