NUBIAN had the honor to sit down with
Chaz Jordan of 1989 Studio to get to know
the man behind the brand, as well as
get a peak into what inspired this season's
collection and concept behind the installation.
Please enjoy this exclusive interview.
How many times have you been to Japan? Do you like Japan?
I've been here quite a few times. At least 4 or 5 times.
Each time I think it gets better, because I know more people each time. Obviously the first time I came
I was just a tourist, so to come back now, this time, and
have an installation, it's pretty cool.
What is the origin of the brand name "1989 STUDIO"？
It was my birth year, I was born July 1st, 1989.
Pretty much the best year if you ask me.
The collection is all black. Can you describe the inspiration and message you have for this collection?
Of course, so the all black came from my time living in Paris in 2013. It was very much the mood at the time. All black leather jeans, black leather sneakers, clearly I'm in all black today. It was really a call back to 2013.
The message was Paris is usually chic and very discrete when it comes to fashion, especially luxury fashion. It's like the "Chanel Guidebook" you know what I mean?
You presented your looks at your runway show in Paris in January of this year, how did you feel at the show and during the process of making the collection, did everything go smoothly? Did you face any difficulties in your first runway show?
How I felt at the show was... It's hard to articulate because it was out first show for this brand. So, for it to be the first show, that big of a show, and in Paris, which is where I started, it was like... it was a very special moment because the theme of the collection was based on where I started. It was a full circle experience. I was very excited but I also had to stay focused to make sure we didn't have too many issues. And then the development of the collection was intense. It usually is, it never goes smoothly and if a designer tells you a collection goes smoothly do not believe them, they're lying for sure.
The installation you have here at NUBIAN is a traditional Japanese garden called karesansui, what was your thought process behind bringing this idea to life for the launch party? And are you satisfied with how it turned out?
Yea, so the inspiration is actually thanks to you (Nubian), the objective was how do we translate that feeling and that mood we had in Paris, to Japan. So for me in my mind it immediately goes back to the sand and the rocks, it was a call back to the Japanese rock gardens, once I had that it was pretty easy to come up with the layout. I mean we came, we visited, I saw the space, I understood what needed to happen. In regards to how it turned out, if you didn't have these buildings right here, and there were just trees, it would legit feel like a proper Japanese temple. Super peaceful, super chill, so I like it.
You previously created Au Courant Paris / Ih Nom Uh Nit, and now 1989 STUDIO. Please tell us the story behind your previous brands to where you are now.
I mean that was my first brand (Au Courant Paris) it was awhile ago. I was very young, it was 2011-2012, I think I was 21. I mean I had a very clear vision when I first started. It was very avant-garde at the time but it was because of our association and traveling to Paris a lot so it was very much the mood at the time - it was very Rick Owens, Damir Doma, and I think that I did a really good job with that brand in terms of execution. The visuals, everything, it was all very spot on to what I envisioned. I'd even argue you could even use that same material today and it would still feel very relevant and fresh. It was a very early on period of just learning by trial and error. Then came the second brand (Ih Nom Uh Nit), it came about because I wanted to get out of the monochromatic, because as we know Rick Owens pretty much owns that world. So I knew I could only go so high. It was very much a 2015-2016 feeling. The world was such a different, carefree place. So that's what went into the brand, if we had an idea, try it, if it doesn't work, cool, try something else. But you didn't feel like there were high stakes and I think that's what ultimately lead to the success of that brand in a huge way. This brand (1989 STUDIO) is like taking everything I've learned and creating a more refined version.
You used to work for RSVP Gallery when Virgil Abloh and Don C were still there, how and why did you get that job? Can you describe the relationship you had with them?
This is a crazy story, so I started my first business when I was in highschool which gave me the resources to buy things that I liked. I would go into the shop initially as a customer. One day Virgil was there and we had like a fit check, obviously I knew who he was just off of our Tumblrs, but it was a mutual respect and appreciation we garnered for eachother just off how we looked and presented ourselves. He started the conversation and from that day we became super close. Later he invited me to a grand opening party downtown, it was like a secret party, and I was like Virgil... I'm not old enough, I think I was 20 at the time and you had to be 21. He was like don't worry and got us wristbands, I was so afraid we weren't going to be able to get in since I didn't have an ID at the time saying I was 21, but we ended up getting in with no problems. A few weeks later one of the members at RSVP hit me and was like "Yo do you wanna come work and like join the team?" I was like sure and that's how the relationship really grew. And then ultimately I became really close with Don, which I'm still super close to, and when we got to Paris they were already there, so it just continued and it was a wild ride.
Do they inspire you? As far as you making your own career?
For sure, I mean Virgil gave the blueprint in the literal sense, life if you just pay attention, you can go from Champion t-shirts to pop-ups at Nubian. So I think it's definitely a lot of inspiration and learning from his career path and the decisions he made in his career. And with Don it's very much a respect thing, like for him to be as humble as he is, for such an incredible career, he's still the same person he was from day one. It's a brotherly love and respect for him.
Can you tell us about your relationship with Kanye West? You knew him from your time at RSVP?
Yes so I first met him at RSVP. I'm sure the photos are online of us somewhere. But the first piece we made at RSVP was a sweatshirt, and Ye had come to the shop that day, it was like a huge deal everyone in town knew he was in town, like we knew, but the customers didn't. He pulled up with crazy security all black on black, and I had like a box ready to gift him the first piece. I was so excited, we get the photos, the whole deal, then everyone else got one, Virgil, Don, the rest of the crew. That was my first official time meeting Ye. I had gone to the Graduation listening part in Chicago, he signed my CD, it was crazy, but at the time he didn't know me obviously, we didn't really talk. Fast forward I met him at RSVP, and then in Paris a bunch of times with Virgil. Whenever he came around it was when I'm with Virgil. And then obviously about a month and a half ago he had the 1989 Studio Jesus piece on in Rome, with Travis Scott. It was like his first stage appearance in a very long time, it was also the first time he wore jewelry in a very long time, so its a huge moment for me.
He continued to show love for like a whole month straight, I'm forever grateful, hopefully I get the chance to link him in Italy at the end of this month when they have the tentative concert on the 27th.
What do you focus on most when creating something?
Do you focus on the business side or the creative side more?
No, I never think about the sales, I never look at the trends or the forecast. Its more so I'll have a moment, a seed, that I build the collection or theme around. Normally the inspiration comes from something external, like a movie, or song, or some form of art or whatever, its easy to build a story around that because I usually have a tie, I can just talk about what was happening in the moment that I was inspired by. So I'm always creative, inspiration-driven, more than on the administrative side of things. Which I think is key.
Where do you see your brand in five years?
Five years... its a good question. I think by that time we'll be considered one of the primary brands in our space, in terms of space like Jacquemus is seen today. I feel like we can get there in five years as long as we stay consistent. Because technically this is a year one for us if you count runway shows, acquisition, proper infrastructure. We're going into our third season, so five more years of this level of consistency, for sure.
Can you give us a preview of the next collection?
For sure, I can give you the theme and concept. There was an interesting article I read during the pandemic, from the head of customer engagement from Rolls Royce. I was reading the article and basically he wanted to ask the customers during the period of lockdown, what were the things that you valued most, to understand if the customers mentality had changed given the global crisis. The response was, now we care more about substance, strip away the unneccesary, because they had so much time to really internalize and value the things that were important. So Rolls Royce listened and stripped off all the crazy bells and whistles and made a new model that was the basic version of that model the customers were previously buying. I kept reading more and more articles around this concept. The concept of stealth wealth. No brands, no labels, no logos, but the outfit itself is very expensive. That resonated with me the most, because that's how I started, it was very simple and clean, again going back to Paris, most Parisians don't like logos. So I designed with that in mind. Let's get back to the basics, crazy specific yet clean silhouettes. Changing the materials. It'll be a new and refreshing collection for us as a brand.
Lastly, can you please give a message to your Japanese supporters?
The Japanese are very humble, even when you have certain positions of power, or certain occupations, its still the same level. It feels very genuine, I mean our relationship we started literally at the bottom, and then now we're here. So I appreciate that the energy, respect, and the effort is reciprocated. I wish more people would apply the same principles, because I think we'd get much further, so that's my message. Thank you for the hospitality and I look forward to coming back, a lot more.
- 1989 STUDIO -
Newly established by Chaz A. Jordan,
1989 is based out of LA in California.
Chaz and his new wave of designers
are seeking out innovation in the fashion
industry, with their experienced
background in fashion, a
new world is being sculpted
through the lens of 1989.
- Chaz Jordan -
American-born designer
Chaz started his career in 2011.
He worked previously with
Virgil Abloh and Don C at RSVP Gallery.
At the age of 22, he moved to
Paris to launch his first brand
Au Courant. Later at 24, he launched
Au Courant "Ih Nom Uh Nit" his second label.
Shortly thereafter,
Ih Nom Uh Nit became a celebrity
and pop culture sensation.
In 2021 he debuted 1989 STUDIO.
In 2022 FF Group announced its
acquisition of the company.
