(Kudos to those who showed, btw.)
Just to make you feel even more inadequate (or is that justmefeeling this way?
But lets back up for a minute, and explain how I came to be here.
No/Faith Studios spring 2024 ready-to-wear
The fashion spidey senses were tingling.
The labels team is so tight theres only the three of them.
Like I said: impressive.
Luis Dobbelgarten
(The nearest city to them is actually Cologne, which is an hour away.)
What follows has been edited for clarity.
No/Faith Studios, fall 2023 ready-to-wear
Luis, tell me how you started NO/FAITH STUDIOS.
No/Faith Studios, fall 2023 ready-to-wear
I sold my first shirts at school.
When I was 15, I started NO/FAITH STUDIOS.
Can you do a patch here?
No/Faith Studios spring 2024 ready-to-wear
It was more like upcycling.
We did our first NO/FAITH STUDIOS drops in 2016, when I was 16.
Did they sell well?
No/Faith Studios, fall 2023 ready-to-wear
Luis:They were successful in my town, but not like internet successful.
I was selling at school and the skate park.
People would ask How much?
No/Faith Studios spring 2024 ready-to-wear
and I didnt have any prices.
I was like, How much do you want to give me?
Our first denim drop was our flared jeans in 2020, when I was 20.
No/Faith Studios spring 2024 ready-to-wear
We had maybe 50 pairs and I was thinking,Damnfifty denims to sell.
Theyre technical, so thats a pretty big step.
How did you find someone to make them?
Luis:Our first production was in China.
There, or Japan.
But China helped a lot with growing the brand.
Luis:We did a Black Friday sale last year and sold 5,000 bomber jackets.
We thought,Okaymaybe we sell 300 of the green; the black will sell way better.
But the green one sold so well, it was like,Damnmaybe we have a problem.
Hopefully China can do it in time.They made 5,000 bomber jackets in three weeks.
Sometimes I like stuff like thisif youre a big company, you cant work like that.
Are you thinking about what might be your next steps?
Doing your first runway show?
I want to do a show so you get a feeling after the show.
This is what I love.
After a show you might love it, you might hate it, but you had a feeling.
Tell me a bit more about where youre basedyour studio is here in Berlin, yes?
Its in the middle of fucking nowherelike, the bus comes every two hours.
Theres nothing to do, but I like it there.
I like to be in nature.
I dont go out, I dont do parties, I dont do anything.
I just like to design, and have my freedom.
I grew up there; my parents live there.
I live in my studio.
How do the three of you split up the work of running the label?
The last collection was 50 looksand we did everything.
Its not easy, because normally for this amount of work, youd have a bigger team.
So, where are you sampling your collections?
Luis:We have a sampling room in Italy, so were not sewing the pieces.
Also, there wasnt really anyone else into fashion in my town, and I like that.
And Id always just say, OhI do clothes.
I wasnt going to say I was a designer.
And people would say, How do you make clothes in the Eifel?
I like to be with my best friend, designing.
And when you do great work, people will come.
you should probably connect with the right person, not a hundred people.
So I dont have the feeling to go to Paris or Berlin.
Theyre so expensiveI can have a 200-square-meter studio, or a one-bedroom in Paris or Berlin.
I need the spaceits so important to, I dont know, feel free.
What do you put your success down tobesides what youre making, which clearly is really connecting?
Luis:Community is the most important thing right now for all the new and upcoming brands.
There are a lot of great designers, but they cant build a community.
And I was like, Why are you sleeping in front of the store?
[People would respond] We love itits a feeling of community.
Pop-ups are the new going out, the new parties.
In Paris during fashion week is when all the cool kids are doing pop-ups.
The price point is also really important right nowso important for denim.
We want to keep a price point of 200, 250 euros, even when we move to Italy.
A lot of brands make great products, but they just keep the price so expensive.
I think also the definition of a designer has completely changed.
Sometimes I feel like,Yeahthats fashion nowadays.
You mentioned you were into skate culture.
But were you also into fashion growing up?
I was interested in clothes.
When I was in school, I just drew shows.
I just wanted to create….maybe it wasntfashion, but I wanted to createsomethingjust to create.
Maybe at some point Id love to create, I dont know, chairs or…everythingis art.
I am not sure I want to create clothes my whole life.
Maybe in 10 years I will do something different.
I dont want to be just a designer who does denim.
Are there designers you admire?
Luis:[Alexander] McQueen is, I think, the all-time greatest.
I watched the documentary [about him] maybe 200 times.
Ive looked at all the shows and have all the books.
And also Raf Simons.
I have a Raf tattooits from my favorite collection of his, Virginia Creeper.
Raf was very big to me.
And as a brand, I really like Chrome Hearts.
Luis:Im trying to maintain it as best as I can.
What would be the dream place to be in three years time?
