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Sopopular or how to apply streetwear fashion codes in an adult way.

Written by: Mats

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(last updated May 6, 2012)

Interview with James Ardinast and Daniel Blechman of the fashion label SOPOPULAR

1. How did you come up with the label Sopopular?

James: The idea for Sopopular was conceived on my birthday about two years ago. Daniel, my brother David and I have known each other for 20 years. We have always shared a common fashion style rooted in streetwear. As teenagers we were among the first to wear baggy pants and baseball caps, then the sneaker obsession started a little later.


Labels like Stüssy, Hysteric Glamour and A Bathing Ape have strongly inluenced our sense of fashion. In the last few years we have been trying, unsuccessfully, to ind a label which applies the fashion codes of streetwear in an adult way. So we had no choice but to found Sopopular.



Daniel: I have always been interested in fashion and had a good feel for trends. While I was studying interior design in London

I worked for the Gimme 5 label and developed the German sales network for A Bathing Ape and Hysteric Glamour. Later I co-owned the shop Public Image in Berlin, where we were the irst in Germany to stock Raf Simons and Costume National. I was involved with the Berlin-based label 77 Berlin Industries and worked as a stylist. Having encountered many facets of the fashion industry and gained a great deal of experience, having my own label is a logical step for me. And now I have found the right partners in James and his brother David to go about it with.

Incidentally, the name Sopopular comes from an interview with Kurt Cobain I once read.

2. How would you describe your style?

James: Sopopular stands for a reduced and pragmatic style in male fashion. Classic cuts and slim silhouettes are broken up with angular streetwear elements and futuristic design details. We greatly value high-quality production in Germany and high grade fabrics (primarily cotton). This blend makes SOPOPULAR a solid basic collection for men with classic values and an individual style. With Sopopular, we want to work against the transience of fashion, we want to create classics that convey a certain image and attitude to life.

Daniel: Our own demands form the basis of Sopopular. When I look for clothes myself, every detail has to be 100% perfect: the it, the material, the buttons and belt buckles, even the packaging. Our style is old school in terms of quality and production, coupled with extraordinary, modern design.

3. What is your target group?


James: Self-confident, genuine men between 25 and 55 who have principles that they actually stick to!
daniel: Because we come from the streetwear scene, we have the same problem as many of our friends, namely, as we get older we would like clothes in which we don’t look like we are wearing a costume or trying to look forever young, but which still represent streetwear codes. We aim to ill this gap in fashion with Sopopular. Our target group consists of men who are still children but who have successful adult lives. And who also wish to highlight their strong personality with an individual clothing style, without following a fashion dictum.


4. Do consumers really need another fashion label?


James: Yes, especially one for men! Women have 40 years of emancipation behind them, they have redeined their position in society. Young labels like Lala Berlin, Kaviar Gauche and Penkov represent that for us in German female fashion. So it’s about time that men caught up in every regard – and we want to accompany them in terms of fashion with SOPOPULAR.
daniel: There will always be a demand for something new. The trendsetters want to be a step ahead of everyone else, that will never change. Personally I think that everything done with great passion and high demands on quality will always be able to hold its own against the rest.





Sopopular is available at: Uebervart, Frankfurt – Extrafein, Berlin – Firmament, Berlin – The Glade, Online Shop

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