Fabulous Brand: La Double J

For the last two years I have been obsessed with all things La Double J. The label was created by American-born, current expat JJ Martin. Martin is a journalist by trade with a keen eye for bold patterns and styles that flatter. She was always drawn to vintage fashion, and after creating a website that sold one-of-a-kind vintage pieces, she realized that the business model was tough to scale up and left very little room for monetary gains. It was then that she reinvented her vision and started making “new clothes” inspired by vintage fabrics found at the archives of Mantero, a 150-year-old fabric manufacturer in Lake Como that worked with Emilio Pucci, Christian Dior and Chanel. The line now includes ready-to-wear, tabletop, and childrenswear items. Below is one of my favorite skirts paired with a look for fall. The one I bought this summer has been worn many times, maybe it’s time for a second.

{La Double J. Slinky Skirt, Zara Three Quarter Sleeve T-Shirt, Madewell Perfect Leather Belt, Saint Laurent Velvet Sandal}

Q&A with JJ Martin, Founder of La Double J

When and why did you launch La Double J?

I launched the brand two years ago as a shoppable magazine where we sold vintage clothes and vintage jewelry all shown on creative women in Milan. So it was fun to show how the vintage could be worn with new clothes and to also show at the same time all of these amazing women and their hidden homes and ateliers in the city. A year in a half a go, I made one new dress using vintage patterns found at Mantero, a silk archive in Lake Como. That single dress sprouted a whole label called La doubleJ Editions and now we have 15 silhouetess and work with over 30 different vintage prints.

Why do Italian women always look so fabulous?

They are born with a style chip. It’s in their blood and DNA. I’ve been in awe of it every day of my 15 years in Italy.

Where do you find your incredible patterned materials?

All of them come from Mantero’s archive. The company is a historic textile mill that has been around for 115 years. They’ve worked with everyone from Dior to Chanel to Pucci and Valentino. Over the years, they have acquired many textile companies that have slowly gone out of business, so their archives are huge and rich with incredible material.

Where do you draw inspiration for your line?

The line is very colorful, very pattern and print focused. It’s all inspired by the vintage clothing I’ve been collecting for 20 years but using new, updated, modern silhouettes. It’s also inspired by my maximalist aesthetic. I’m a print lover at heart.

Who is your muse?

I don’t have one specific muse. I’ll start looking for one! I just like the women and friends around me. And the Milanese women have been endlessly inspirational— as the website can attest!

Who is your ideal client?

I love anyone that gets excited trying on the clothes. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing someone eyes light up!

Your vintage clothes and jewelry are off the hook fabulous! Where do you find them and how often is new stuff on the site?

I’ve been collecting for about 20 years, going to big flea markets, crappy junk stores, and important auctions. Today I work with my own archive of clothes, as well as a selection of dealer friends who help me source products. Although our focus is now on new clothes as well as the plates and table linens we just launched— we will always sell vintage as it’s the heart and soul of the brand.

What’s next for La Double J?

We just launched LA DoubleJ Housewives— the table top collection! we’re also dabbling in a few men’s pieces and just made a children’s dress. I’d love to develop all of these further. The idea is never to do huge collections but just single products, launched every few months, updating silhouettes and prints. It’s meant to be super easy.