Established in Spain in 1962, Lois were the first European fashion jeans brand to 'conquer the world' and really set the standard for jeans. Flourishing in the 70's and 80's when their iconic fits and flares were worn by influential fashion icons and musicians. Before they knew it, Lois were all over the dance floor. Between other great jeans brands of that time, Lois brought something new - a trailblazing and fashionable pair of jeans.
The Lois story began in Spain at the beginning of the 60s when three young men, 'the Sáez Merino brothers', opened a cloth mill. At first, they produced their own denim clothes, catering mainly to the needs of the working class and soon became one of the best known jeans' brands in Europe.
Once the uniform of cowboys and miners in America, Lois Jeans were extremely popular amongst artists, singers, athletes, and anyone looking to have fun. Their jeans dominated the dance floor back in the '70s and were worn by the likes of Abba and Björn Borg and because of their rare niche in the industry, the brand slowly grew its fan base in Europe
In 2014 Arthur Van Rongen invested into Lois and becoming Co-Owner alongside the brands founding Sáez Merino family, in a bid to bring Lois back to the status it once was. Arthur had previously had creative director roles at denim giants Diesel & Tommy Hilfiger. From this experience Arthur explained its more important to focus on a brands story rather than an immediate jump in hype - 'because if your brand skyrockets, the downfall will follow inevitably'
Arthur went back to the basics and the rich history of Lois. The brand was quite revolutionary in the 70s, because it wasn't built on function, but on fashion. Lois was the reason women started wearing jeans on a daily basis, especially when they added stretch fibres to the fabric. Every since the brands re-introduction in 2015 the inspiration for collections has been sourced from deconstructing and improving heritage and vintage clothing and utilising this to bring back iconic pieces from the Lois archives.
An archival re-issue of a staple feature from the 80s is the Lois Jeans Tejana Thin Cord Jacket, exclusive to Stuarts it boasts all of the hall marks of the much loved corduroy originals. Initially based upon a classic 70s Western trucker jacket the piece maintains it's recognisable aesthetic that is defined by it's "Thin Cord" outer shell, western style front pleats, buttoned tab adjusters at the hem and four pocket details - two buttoned flap pockets at the chest and two side pockets. With branded gold button details, suede signature branding to hem at the front left, and woven tab branding at the left hand chest pocket rounding off the garment it's short length simply add to it's appeal.
Today Lois is designed in the denim capital of the world, Amsterdam, but just like the beginning it's made by the oldest tailor family in Spain. The brand is available in 10 European countries, it has 160 points of sale in The Netherlands, 40 in Belgium and nearly 70 in Scandinavia. But the jewel in the crown is the flagship store in Amsterdam, the Lois Galeria which offers the complete men's and women's collections, exclusive books, furniture, fine jewellery and perfumes.
