I Heard They Eat Cigarettes, the newest independent denim label in the world, is inspired by Melbourne and mental friends. Featuring the tightest skinny jeans you've seen since
The Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers cover, the label is designed and made in Melbourne and delivering quirky, edgy denim that big labels struggle to deliver.
"We've got a mental friend who actually gets super drunk and really does eat cigarettes, so we named the label after him," says Chris Brooks, the label's founder. "We wanted to create something edgy, something interesting that's fun to wear and we saw that there weren't really any other independent labels doing that in Australia."
Their first collection out now in stores like Kids in Berlin features super sexy skinny-legged numbers, with the addition of some shorts for both boys and girls. The jeans are available in four washes, light blue, black, grey and black and range form the women's high-waisted Lucille to the miniscule 4cm fly of the boys' Birth Control jeans.
"The name of the Birth Control jeans might put a few people off, but it's just a bit of a joke because to get them this tight I used to wear girls jeans," says Brooks. One of eight styles available, it is inspired by well-dressed Melbournites, nights out that end too late and indie friends.
For a start-up label,
I Heard They Eat Cigarettes have got the denim quality and details right. The stitching has a flattering twist down the leg and the fabric has the right amount of stretch to make for comfy wearing. The swing tag is a yellow cassette, also made in Melbourne, that will eventually contain music samples from local talent. Instead of a fat tag, the waist band features crossed belt loops at the back and the pocket an inverted cross. Nothing to do with religions apparently, quite possibly just two crossed fags about to be munched by a friendly mentalist.