EXCLUSIVE: Walking through the fashion mecca of New York\u2019s SoHo neighbourhood, it isn\u2019t unusual to see queues wrapping around the cast-iron, vanilla-hued facades that house some of the world\u2019s most coveted \u201cIt girl\u201d fashion brands. <\/p>\n
The sprawl of women scattered across Greene and Mercer streets outside Bottega Veneta, Khaite, Chlo\u00e9 and Chanel are dressed in a northern summer uniform: printed midi skirts and \u201cgoing out tops\u201d, worn with stiletto-heeled thongs and accessorised with 1990s-style shoulder bags.<\/p>\n
The aesthetic is part Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, part Instagram model. <\/p>\n
Yet when you turn onto cobblestoned Wooster Street, one store remains so popular there\u2019s often a line out the front.<\/p>\n
Despite looking at home in one of New York\u2019s hottest retail strips, the sought-after With J\u00e9an \u2013 which has been worn by Hailey Bieber, Margot Robbie, Dua Lipa, Kaia Gerber, Kylie Jenner, Charli XCX, Bella Hadid and Phoebe Tonkin \u2013 is not actually American. Its story begins on the Gold Coast. <\/p>\n
Founded in 2017 by business partners and best friends Evangeline Titilas and Sami Lorking-Tanner when they were just 24, With J\u00e9an has had something of a meteoric rise by fashion industry standards, achieving huge success in the US off the back of its social media-fuelled following.<\/p>\n
Wooster Street \u2013 the brand\u2019s only permanent retail space \u2013 celebrated its first birthday in May. <\/p>\n
It followed a pop-up on nearby Howard Street in 2023, which Lorking-Tanner and Titilas had initially viewed as a marketing stunt, expecting little return on investment. But the response was unprecedented, and they had to call in extra stock.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one pop up was generating more revenue than all of Australian within a day. We did it one day,\u201d Titilas tells Stellar, wearing a cobalt blue With Jean knit and vintage jeans. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe first two weeks we were operating really lean. It was our first ever bricks mortar [retail] type experience that we\u2019d ever done. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe were there for there months and just learnt so much.\u201d<\/p>\n
The duo quickly realised they needed a long-term lease in New York, which became the brand\u2019s biggest market along with California \u2013 outperforming Australia \u2013 prompting Titilas to relocated to the US in 2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been growth to growth year on year. The US is really our biggest market \u2026 and continues to be,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe influencers that we were working with \u2026 we were really capitalising on socials \u2013 and none of them [were] being monetised at that time.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we were like gifting and just building our community organically. We weren\u2019t doing paid ads.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe following naturally just increased in the US drastically. It was just really quick. As soon as we started to notice that, wow, our audience is growing so rapidly there and took over [Australia] \u2026 it became our biggest audience, really early on.\u201d<\/p>\n
JEAN-IUS MOVE<\/p>\n
This rapid US expansion of With J\u00e9an is a long way from the brand\u2019s inception. <\/p>\n
Titilas and Lorking-Tanner met nearly 20 years ago through a mutual friend on the Gold Coast, and started the brand in Bali.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always wanted to do something together,\u201d Titilas reflects. \u201dWe were both really creative; Sammy was a photographer. I just always wanted to be in the fashion industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
The name With J\u00e9an was born out of a shared sartorial frustration. <\/p>\n
Both were obsessed with vintage Levi\u2019s but struggled to find the perfect tops to pair with them, so they wanted to design pieces specifically to be worn with jeans.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour vintage Levi\u2019s carry so many memories because you\u2019ve worn them for so many important times in your life \u2013 birthday parties, makeups, breakups,\u201d Titilas says. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou can put on a pair of jeans and they hold such life. And I think that\u2019s really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n
The brand\u2019s aesthetic has matured alongside its founders, now in their early 30s, and is heavily influenced by their lives (Titilas is based in New York and Lorking-Tanner is on the Gold Coast).<\/p>\n
For Titilas, living in the East Village and the spontaneity of New York \u2013 where the lifestyle moves seamlessly from the office to dinner at Lucien or a dirty martini at Bar Valentina on the lower east side \u2013 demands wardrobe versatility. <\/p>\n
Speaking to Stellar, she points to the brand\u2019s evolution as a direct response to this lifestyle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe spontaneity [of New York] and just being ready [for] wherever the night takes you, which I think is true for a lot of our pieces,\u201d Titilas says. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe \u2018Lana\u2019 top or the \u2018Siena\u2019 top, the \u2018Nelly\u2019 top \u2026 you could wear that with a \u2018Penny\u2019 skirt or you could wear it with jeans.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can really dress it down, dress it up: that\u2019s what I\u2019m looking for. <\/p>\n
\u201cJust being ready [for] wherever the city takes you, I think there\u2019s something that is carried through our design aesthetic.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Lorking-Tanner, inspiration comes from summer. \u201cFrom the very beginning we\u2019ve always been a brand that chases the warmth,\u201d she notes. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re designing for women all over the world now, so our focus is on creating pieces that feel timeless \u2026 I think that relaxed, effortless way of living naturally finds its way into everything we create.\u201d<\/p>\n
AUSSIE EXPANSION <\/p>\n
With J\u00e9an is in the midst of its biggest year yet; the brand is up 50 per cent year-on-year, and the focus is shifting toward expanding its retail and distribution strategy. <\/p>\n
It also marked its first wholesale partnership with mega online retailer Revolve, with others to follow. Demand is so high at the Wooster St store, where there are 10 fitting rooms, that security guards are required to manage the crowds.<\/p>\n
There are plans to open three to four more stores including a second location in New York, one in Los Angeles, and an inaugural Australian store located in Sydney. <\/p>\n
\u201cOpening a store in Australia feels like a natural extension, and it\u2019s something we hope to offer our home market soon,\u201d Lorking-Tanner says.<\/p>\n
She adds that the success of the New York location reflects a gen Z and millennial return to physical retail \u2013 but not as you know it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think customers want both [online and stores] now,\u201d Lorking-Tanner says. <\/p>\n
\u201cOnline is still an incredibly important part of our business, but retail offers something that can\u2019t be replicated digitally.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople want to touch the fabrics, try things on and spend time in a beautiful space. Rather than one replacing the other, I think the future is about creating a seamless experience between both.\u201d<\/p>\n
The launch of its latest collection, dubbed Il Lido (Italian for beach), has been one of their most successful to date, with the \u2018Arden\u2019 capri pant selling out within 48 hours and a heaving waitlist. (Titilas has been in Greece, where her family is from, to shoot the brand\u2019s next campaign). <\/p>\n
Of course, With J\u00e9an\u2019s influential social media following and celebrity fans are helping drive the demand. <\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of [celebrity pick-up] is some of our friends,\u201d Titilas admits. \u201dObviously, it\u2019s amazing [when] some of these big names wear your pieces. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut when you\u2019re walking down the street and you see someone wearing With J\u00e9an \u2026 that will never get old.\u201d<\/p>\n