Get Ready to Start Hearing a Lot More About 1989 Studio
For Chaz Jordan, this has been a long time coming. The L.A.-based designer isn’t exactly long in the tooth at 33 years old, but he’s been at it since back in 2011, when he was working alongside Don C. and Virgil Abloh at Chicago’s RSVP Gallery. Jump forward just a bit and he’s in Paris, launching his first brand, Au Courant. A couple years later, Au Courant transformed into Ih Nom Uh Nit, which quickly gained fans in that intersectional space where celebrities, fashion heads, and semi-professional cool kids meet. Ih Nom Uh Nit was acquired by a third party after that, and Jordan eventually touched down in Los Angeles to launch his latest venture, 1989 Studio, in 2021.
When Jordan and I connect over the phone, he’s back in Paris, where the whole 1989 Studio crew put on a fashion show at the famed Palais de Tokyo and met with industry insiders from all over the world. It’s a “full-circle” moment smashing right into a “brand on the precipice of breaking big” moment. The fall/winter 2023 collection, inspired by The Batman and rendered in every conceivable shade of black, is proving to be a hit. And though Jordan explains that Japan and Europe are currently 1989’s biggest markets, the brand has its sights set on the U.S. in a major way. It is, after all, the designer’s home turf. He’s looking to fill the space he feels the market is lacking right now—and take it over.
“My wheelhouse is luxury,” he explains. “But with the pandemic, it's like I can't drop another fucking luxury brand because it would fall on deaf ears.” Instead, 1989 Studio focuses on a more attainable space. It’s not cheap—T-shirts start around $200, a little more than half the price of something similar from, say, Off-White—but it’s less likely to induce full-blown sticker shock. And if you’re in the market for something a little less logo-driven, made with consideration, and designed for real life, 1989 Studio might just be the next big thing in your wardrobe.
Below, Jordan waxes philosophical on the nature of inspiration, making clothes he actually wants to wear, and why he listens to the numbers-crunchers—but only sometimes.
On the new 1989 Studio collection
I start with the world. And that world started as my time with Virgil and Ye and all of us, when we were living in Paris, which was 2013. That period was when Balmain jeans were starting. And it was really a moment where, when we would buy these things, we felt like the shit. You know what I mean? Putting on those jeans, it's like, when you go outside, you can go get coffee, but you're like, “This is the shit.” No logos.
And I felt that the industry, as a whole, was missing that. I don't get that feeling anymore. I don't even buy clothes anymore, because there's nothing in the market that I'm like, “I could wear this every day and I feel good.” So, I wanted to start in that period; that was the first step. Then, it's, “How do I create that feeling and that mood in the products?” So, then I just go, “Well, let me just redesign, repurpose our entire wardrobe from that period.” And that's how you get the nod to Givenchy the Rottweiler tee. You have the hoodies with the side zips. You have the leather biker jeans. The flannel I did with the 1989 logo was a nod to Virgil, again, with the Pyrex, with the Ralph flannels.
On finding inspiration in film...
For me, the goal is to bring that sense of excitement, to bring that fun back to the industry, to where it's not so fucking cookie-cutter, very dry, stale, without emotion. I take a lot of inspiration from film. I've seen more films than they've probably made. So, I tend to think of a theme. And once that theme is there… I'll watch Bullett with McQueen, for instance. I will develop an entire collection in my mind just from one of his outfits. So, I think that's a secret weapon of mine to where I can pull from that and bring it into a world that's accessible.
...and in everyday life
I could be walking down the street. I could be at the museum. I could be doing whatever. And I'll see something that just triggers me. But honestly, there's no rhyme or reason. There's no method to it. It just happens in the moment because I consume so much media. I'm like six to seven hours of podcasts a day, movies on top of that, shit I see when I'm out in world.
So, I'm always just taking in, taking in, taking in. And this is what I felt made Kanye who he was, because of his life experiences and how much he had access and exposure to. When you take in that much shit around the world, you're going to be on another fucking playing field when it comes to creativity. So, I try to take as many trips as I can, soak up as much as I can, do as many different things in different fields as I can, so that it's just shit flying at me everywhere. And then, I try to incorporate—when it's appropriate—some of those things.
On paying attention to the numbers
I listen to people, to a degree. I've never been big on market data; it's a slippery slope, because once you start doing that, then you start to sacrifice or limit the creative process, because now you're saying, "Let's see this shit from last season. I need to do this. I need to do this." And now, you're taking up a portion of your brain that could be used for completely new ideas. It's a balancing act, for sure.
On designing for his own wardrobe
My approach has always been practical. And when I design, it's really out of necessity for my personal wardrobe. So, if I need a pair of cargo pants, I'll just make the cargo pants. If I need a perfectly cut white tee, I'll just make the white tee.
That has been what's led me my entire career. I never check trend forecasts. I follow probably three brands in total, and none of them are my friends, because I don't want to get to the point where I'm subconsciously designing like another person. So, I just prefer to keep my shit to my lifestyle, what I need at the time. Especially in L.A., it’s all about comfort. You have to figure out the line between comfort and style—how to not go too far into comfort, but then not too far into style, to where you feel you have to be going somewhere nice to put this on. So, I keep it simple, with shit that I can mix and it all goes together at any point of the day.
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