Ksubi by Alice Hollywood: Denim That Remembers
This collection is a “love letter to the unapologetic denim era of the early 2000s.” What does that era mean to you personally?
I grew up in Southern California during the height of the "designer denim” era which was everywhere you looked. I remember seeing the rise of this style and seeing those brands, and really wanting to trade in the tattered/ripped up skate jeans I had. This collection is my tribute to that moment, and bringing back the energy of something I always admired.
You can hear that younger-self energy in the collection — like giving yourself the jacket you always wanted.
The release calls out early-2000s confidence — which cultural moments or fits were you thinking of while designing?
For me, it wasn’t about one big pop culture moment. The confidence I remember came from the older, cooler kids at school. The ones who set the tone with what they wore. Seeing that everyday influence stuck with me more at the time.
It’s less red-carpet nostalgia and more about the small, daily moments that taught you how to stand a certain way.
Alice Hollywood feels deeply tied to music and youth culture. How do those worlds feed your design process?
My work has always been tied to music and youth culture I feel like, even my first brand started at 18 was rooted in those worlds. Particularly punk rock and hip hop, but now as I’m much older, I feel a stronger pull to dig back into my childhood roots and the first moments that introduced me to culture and music, which is what has been fueling Alice Hollywood. It’s all one big nostalgia trip for me personally.
Tell me about how the lighter clips moved from caps to denim?
The lighter clips began as something I would add to my caps, jackets, bags, and anything else laying around far before I started Alice Hollywood. I remember wanting to create something new with Alice from what I was doing prior, yet tying back into my youth. I found an old hat laying around in my closet I had applied the clips to years back and that kind of began the starting point for Alice. Now as the brand grows it acts as a “signature motif” and anywhere I can find to attach them, I will.
Those little clips read like a private joke that turned into a logo — simple, messy and utterly ownable.
Ksubi and Alice Hollywood both began DIY. What did you learn from working with a brand that started like yours?
Ksubi was really refreshing to collaborate with because there were so many creative inputs in the process. Having everyone put their heads together to come up with the final product felt much more satisfying than working alone and just waiting on a simple yes or no. That kind of collective energy pushed the ideas further than I could have taken them on my own.
Why open the collection first as a pop-up in New York, and what do you hope the pop-up environment communicates that an e-commerce drop can’t?
From past experiences, the New York energy, especially during fashion week, is unlike anywhere else. Everyone is outside, making time to see what’s happening, and the city has such a strong passion and taste for clothing that it made sense to debut here. With a pop-up, people can actually see and feel the product, which communicates the detail in a way no social media post or website photo really can.
A pop-up lets the denim speak for itself — the weight, the stitch, the way a jacket moves when you shrug.
If someone walks out of the Ksubi pop-up in head-to-toe Alice Hollywood x Ksubi, what energy or attitude do you hope they’re carrying into the world?
I’d want them to leave feeling even more confident than when they walked in. A little louder than usual, but still completely themselves. The attitude is about carrying that sense of individuality and ease into the world.
