Pepe Jeans celebrates its half century with Lila Moss

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Sep 19, 2023

Pepe Jeans celebrated its half century in London this weekend with a photo exhibition of its many campaigns and dinner to celebrate its new campaign star Lila Moss.

Featuring work by fashion lensmen legends like Bruce Weber, David Sims and Tom Munro among others, it smartly captured the brand’s British youthquake DNA.
 
Held in The Loft on Scrubs Lane in Shepherd’s Bush, near to the original offices of founding Shah brothers, who launched Pepe Jeans from a market stall in Portobello Road in 1973.

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“We wanted to celebrate our half century and suggest where we will go for the next 50 years. Pepe started in London, and London is our heart. That’s why we are in this amazing city, and why we celebrate by saying I Love London,” said Marcella Wartenbergh, who became Pepe Jeans Group CEO in 2019.
 
Guests could customize gifted and neatly worn recycled denim Pepe jean jackets reading "I Love London" on their backs.
 
Pepe Jeans is the largest in AWWG which also encompasses Façonnable, the BCBG (Bon Chic Bon Gens) preppy French marque, and Hackett, known for its essential British kit, as well as being the licensed distributor of Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein in Spain and Portugal.
 
Privately-held AWWG does not release the annual figures for its brands, but Pepe Jeans – which is headquartered in Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Spain - is understood to turnover in excess of €300 million annually.
  
Though somewhat sleepy in the past decade, the brand’s DNA remains strong and fertile, as its photo exhibition made clear.
 
Dua Lipa emoting before David Sims; Cristiano Ronaldo and Jessica Miller shot by Steven Klein; Jordan Dunn looking sultry before Glen Luchford; Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz entangled and lensed by Luigi & Iango. All the way to a then unknown and truly angelic Natalia Vodianova shot back in 2001 by Nacho Pinedo.
 
With some 500 sales points worldwide, and no stores in China, the brand would appear to be half plenty of growth potential. It’s already upped its game digitally – with 28% of sales coming online. Savvy co-branding partnerships and smart pop-ups should ensure strong future growth.