French brand IRO was founded in 2005 by brothers Laurent and Arik Bitton. Their signture style of rock n roll, cutting edge pieces mixed with Parisian chic separates has led to fashion forward collections season-on-season. For SS14, IRO has added to their offering of cropped jackets and luxe separates with IRO Jeans, bringing new and exciting denim pieces to the range. We asked IRO's Laurent Britton about his business secrets.
DONNA IDA: How did you get started?
IRO's Laurent Bitton: 'We started IRO when we saw that all these cool girls around us were searching for great quality, cool, rock and easy to wear clothes but at a more affordable price tag. Therefore after having worked in the music industry for several years we decided to gear our passion towards clothes. We decided to bring a fresh new positioning to the market by placing the brand between luxury and contemporary. We are very proud of how far IRO has come, but we still have many plans to further expand the brand and reach as many markets as possible.'
DONNA IDA: Where and what did you study?
IRO's Laurent Bitton: 'Music, only music.'
DONNA IDA: Where is your Head Office and what does it look like?
IRO's Laurent Bitton: 'We have two head offices, one in Paris and another in Soho, New York, that my brother and I have designed in exactly the same way because we really wanted to express to everybody that in the beginning the brand IRO started just as much in New York as it did in Paris.'
DONNA IDA: What inspires you?
IRO's Laurent Bitton: 'Everything except Fashion.'
DONNA IDA: What is your business mantra?
IRO's Laurent Bitton: 'Excellency.'
DONNA IDA: If you weren’t a designer/founder what would you do?
IRO's Laurent Bitton: 'I would be a writer, a compositor and singer.'
DONNA IDA: Describe your style highs and lows?
IRO's Laurent Bitton: 'I would describe my day-to-day wardrobe as jeans, tennis shoes, easy plaid button down shirts, and comfy linen t-shirts with oversize knits and leather jackets.'
DONNA IDA: What advice would you give to a younger you?
IRO's Laurent Bitton: 'To be focused and never forget that everything you want you can have if you work hard enough.'
DONNA IDA: You’ve introduced denim to IRO, what’s next?
IRO's Laurent Bitton: 'Home design.'
See IRO Jeans launch video below:
Shop IRO. Read more Start it Up interviews.
