The date is 1973 and a bunch of raucous kids are jostling for a position around a market stall to shelter themselves from the icy February drizzle under a graffiti filled railway bridge in the heart of Portobello Market. People taking busses, tubes and bikes from the far corners of London, this crew of up-all-night club kids, androgynous models and the general converge in the capitals hippiest clothing market in a bid to get their hands on an elusive pair of jeans that has has London’s most discerning fashionistas swapping notes. And this friends, is where Pepe jeans was born.

In a time where fashion brands were made less by the marketing of science and cold cash, and more by real people discovering different and exciting fashion that London designer Nitin Shah and his brothers Arun and Milan unleashed their vision of detail-rich denims to an audience that had become tired of bland jeans. And now, 37 years later, Pepe jeans trade in 60 different countries, sells through almost 7,000 doors at wholesale, has over 300 stores internationally and employs over 2,000 employees, and yet, it remains devoted to its initial mantra, to create directional denims and challenge young fashion in an era that is dogged by conformism. By 1980 Pepe jeans was squaring up to the American denim heavyweights which had until then dominated British Jeans boutiques.

In 1984 the brand started with the opening of a new office and showroom in L.A. and within that same year, they spread their wings to Ireland. Fuelled by the appetite to articulate this message in a sexy manner, Pepe jeans hired the hottest fashion photographer, Bruce Weber, to shoot its biggest ad campaign yet. The ads featuring Bridget Hall set a new benchmark in the fashion wold in terms of its polished production values as well as their precedent with regards to find advertising faces destined to become the stars of tomorrow, inclusive of Alexa Chung, Ashton Kutcher, Sienna Miller, Letitia Casta, Cristaino Ronaldo, Kate moss and many more. Each campaign featured has left an indelible mark in the annals of fashion advertising. In the 1990’s Pepe jeans continued its expansion through Europe, with France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Holland, Portugal and Switzerland all falling under their magical denim spell.

By the beginning of the new millennium, Pepe jeans London’s reputation was known to be one of the biggest brands in the denim market, and in 2002 they launched kids wear, as well as the rock premium denim collection 73, the directional Andy Warhol by Pepe Jeans collection which launched in 2007 and now even better, they have recently launched footwear and eyewear collections. Fashion is defined by its ability to create, evolve and excite trends at breakneck speeds, just like the red bull formula 1 team which the brand sponsors. Pepe jeans remain at the front of the fashion pack with a winning attitude based on its ability to deliver the strongest denim-led fashion in the market.

Via: Pepejeans.com