seams
RUNWAY REALWAY
JUICY BY DORI GRAY PHOTOS BY PROVIDED
It was the year 2002, and paparazzi captured the signature blonde pigtails of Britney Spears walking in London. Wearing a mustard Penny Lane coat and low-slung sweatpants, the star of her mismatched ’fit was a blue Juicy Couture tee with bold orange letters spelling out two short words: DUMP HIM. After launching in 1997, Juicy Couture quickly became synonymous with celeb off-duty style. Juicy clothing was artfully tailored to look stylish on any body type and consumers took notice. Founders Pamela SkaistLevy and Gela Nash-Taylor would gift their products to celebrities as a marketing tactic. Consequently, candid photos of the brand’s classic velour and terry cloth tracksuits — and their signature “J” zipper pulls — appeared on glossy magazine pages, giving the brand more exposure. Even more enticing, Juicy was accessible luxury: for almost $200, one could twin with their favorite movie star. Juicy Couture was a favorite brand of many 2000s darlings. Both Spears and Tori Spelling gave their bridesmaids Juicy coords. Jennifer Lopez wore a pink hoodie-and-shorts set in her 2001 “I’m Real (Remix)” music video
with Ja Rule. The early-2000s reality show The Simple Life starring Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie was basically an extended Juicy Couture ad campaign. And for Hilton, the loyalty is real. “I love Juicy Couture’s velour tracksuits,” she told The Guardian in 2019. “I probably own 100 of them in every color.” Not only was Juicy Couture flattering, but it was also fun. Tees with slogans like Spears’ “Dump Him” were popular, as were spinoff product lines with perfume, jewelry, purses, and even dog accessories. In 2003, Skaist-Levy and NashTaylor sold the company to Liz Claiborne Inc., known now as Kate Spade & Company, but the founders did not part ways with their brainchild until 2010. Then, Juicy was sold to Authentic Brands Group in 2013, and all U.S. brick-and-mortar stores closed. After striking a deal to sell products in Kohl’s beginning in 2014, the brand made a series of soft relaunches, rebranding its main collection to Juicy Couture Black Label in 2015, collaborating with designer brand Vetements for Spring 2017, and releasing its first runway collection in 2018. The newer generation’s affinity
for Y2K style included a renewed appreciation for Juicy Couture by both celebrities and normies alike. Even Lil Timmy Tim, sorry, Timothée Chalamet, caught the vibe in 2020 and wore a baby pink Juicy hoodie from his personal closet in a GQ photoshoot. In 2021, Forever 21 launched a Juicy Couture economy line à la Baby Phat, which served as a stepping-stone for the brand to make a full comeback to the masses. The phrase “often imitated, never duplicated” holds true for Juicy, as countless brands have attempted to produce their own velour tracksuits. Because Juicy has existed since ’97, broke college students can find “vintage” gems on resale platforms like Mercari and Depop. If that is too much work, simply pair any velour hoodie with matching slim-fit sweatpants, apply lip gloss, and slip on a giant pair of sunglasses to hide from the paparazzi.
OUTHREADMAG.COM | 19
