FRAME has been dominating the denim industry for over a decade now. It’s an impressive feat, one that was immortalised in their 385-page coffee table book, Women in FRAME, earlier this year. Within it former campaign stars and celebrity fans Imaan Hammam, Claudia Schiffer and Sasha Pivovarova modelled their most infamous designs from the last ten years, proving that the Californian fashion house has remained at the top throughout.
But when it came to officially entering their second decade, they knew they needed to do something extra special. And who better to call up than one of the most iconic supermodels in recent memory. “I first worked with Gisele over a decade ago and she has been an inspiration for FRAME since inception. Gisele is the epitome of the FRAME woman: she is a supermodel but she is also very much an entrepreneur, a mother, an exemplary citizen of our planet, her work ethic is incredible and of course, no one wear a pair of jeans like she does” explains Erik Torstensson, Co-Founder of FRAME, on his new winter campaign star.
Shot by seminal fashion photographer, David Sims, the campaign made a case for flared jeans - with the Brazilian supermodel wowing in a pair of navy blue ones. A personal favourite of former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and ES Magazine’s very own Ben Cobb, the bell-bottom silhouette has slowly been re-entering the fashion zeitgeist. Whether that be the pale-pink flared suit on Marni’s recent Paris Fashion Week catwalk, or Pharrell rocking a pair at the Louis Vuitton Spring/ Summer 2024 womenswear show. And now with Gisele’s co-sign it seems firmly set to return. “Our collections are more about style than fashion” says Torstensson “there is something about the 70s which never really goes out of style.”
Flare trousers originated in the US Navy, where sailors from as early as 1817 would favour the shape due to ease in being able to roll up the legs when scrubbing the deck. Although Coco Chanel first inserted bell-bottoms into the fashion discourse in the 1920s with her “Yacht Pants” and “Beach Pajamas", it was the style leaders Mick Jagger, Jimi Hendrix and James Brown who gave them mainstream appeal. By the 70s everyone rocked flares – with the jeans evoking memories of Abba, Rollermania, Saturday Night Fever and hippies.
As is the case with most fashion trends, they fell off by the late 70s, only to go through various boom and bust cycles since. I for one am happy to see the cut’s latest return - they’re leg-lengthening and curve-balancing (but unfortunately floor-sweeping - so watch out for rain), and if they’re good enough for Gisele, they’re good enough for me.
