Frankie B relaunches as revamped denim brand

Los Angeles - Denim line Frankie B has grown to prominence for its edgy, premium jeans. Now, under new ownership, the denim brand is refocusing its efforts on a re-launch including significant key changes for the company.

The Los Angeles-based company was first established from founders Gilby and Daniella Clarke. Kevin Chen and Jeremy Weitz took over the brand when they acquired Frankie B in January 2015. The monetary amount for which Frankie B was acquired was not disclosed. With new owners, the company will be undergoing some major changes. Firstly, the company will be dropping its last initial, “B.” Additionally, the company will be expanding into menswear. And lastly, the company will focus on its retail and ready-to-wear stores.

Overall, Chen and Weitz’ main efforts are to re-invent the denim brand. “We all know what Frankie B was,” Chen, current chief executive officer of the brand, told WWD. The newly invented brand, Frankie, will use materials such as denim, corduroy and wool for its bottoms. For tops, the ready-to-wear brand will use cotton, mohair, wool, and leather materials. Retail prices for Frankie range from 200 to 3,600 dollars for ready-to-wear, while denim ranges only up to 600 dollars. Chen states that the Frankie B brand will continue to make new, unexpected designs. “We’re not going to make a low-cut jean of what people expect,” Chen told the publication.