In the Spotlight: Veert’s Julia Lang to Launch Menswear Collection
Julia Lang has lofty ambitions.
The Tanzanian-German entrepreneur launched Julia Lang Worldwide, a marketing and branding agency, a decade ago and over that time has amassed an enviable list of clients in sports, entertainment and fashion.
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But her goals were always bigger than that. “I want to create a household name,” she said.
Lang started down that road about two years ago when she introduced genderless jewelry, fragrance and self-care products under the Veert name. The fragrance and self-care offerings didn’t take off, but the jewelry did, so Lang put all her energy into that category. Veert jewelry was discovered and embraced by A-list celebrities such as The Weeknd, Alicia Keys and Usher as well as retailers including Ssense, The Webster and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Now Lang is taking the plunge into menswear with the launch of Veert’s first capsule collection of ready-to-wear. The tight eight-piece offering includes T-shirts, hoodies, shorts and jackets made from high-end fabrics with embroideries that were applied by hand in Italy. Fabrics were washed and dyed several times to create a vintage feel.
While hoodies and T-shirts are hardly new, Lang has managed to put her mark on the collection. The hoodie features a cropped silhouette, raw hems, freshwater pearls on the drawstrings, a drop-shoulder silhouette and the brand’s signature green heart pattern on both sleeves. The pattern was created by Lang and her business partner Leontinus Arnolds, a German-Albanian entrepreneur.
Ts are also cropped and shorts are loose-fitting and both sport the same embroidered pattern. A structured black jacket with button closures has a removable logo brooch inspired by Veert’s jewelry line.
“I never intended Veert to just be a jewelry line,” Lang said. “I always knew that ready-to-wear would be on the way.”
Lang said she worked on the design of the collection for nine months and intentionally kept the first drop tight. “I want every piece to be a hero piece,” she said.
“This really has been a labor of love,” she added. “This is my debut collection as a menswear designer and I’m extremely proud that it was crafted in Italy. I’ve been incessantly poring over every single stitch and design detail for the last several months, so even though it’s a small capsule, looking back at the entire process, it was a herculean undertaking.”
Like her jewelry, the collection may be categorized as menswear, but can be worn by anyone. “Sixty or 70 percent of the customers for our jewelry are men,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean a woman can’t wear it. Veert was on the forefront of the genderless movement.”
Regardless of gender, the target customer is forward-thinking with “a high taste level” who appreciates detail and quality, Lang said. “Everything is made with intention to make you feel special.”
The collection will be sold initially direct-to-consumer on the Veert website beginning on Tuesday but Lang expects the retailers that carry the jewelry to add the apparel line shortly after. Retail prices will range from $295 to $955.
To introduce the collection, Lang tapped platinum-selling rapper and record executive Jim Jones to model the line. “He’s a very iconic figure but he’s never been associated with elevated luxury fashion,” she said. Jones was an original member of the hip-hop group Diplomats that he formed with Cam’ron, a childhood friend from Harlem.
Looking ahead, Lang believes there’s a long runway of growth for Veert. She is confident the brand can make its mark globally and expects to be able to hold a runway show for the collection within a couple of years. She also plans to collaborate with well-known international fashion brands on co-branded products.
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