Brooklyn-based Nandy Forbes may have folded his famed Bengi jeans line in 2013, but denim lovers will be happy to know he’s returned to the textile through World of Nandy, a new label marked by super sexy, lace up women’s denim that could do double time as lingerie.
In a recent conversation with Snobette via phone, Forbes said he reentered the denim space with World of Nandy in 2015, and noted the collection was rooted in the famous Calvin Klein declaration that “jeans are sex.”
Denim aficionados will recall Forbes’ famed Brooklyn jean, a dark denim jean with the Brooklyn Bridge embroidered on the back pocket, a look that began as a customization and evolved into a full brand in 2009 when Brooklyn retailer Vinnie’s spotted the trend and wanted as many as Forbes could supply.
In 2009, Forbes officially launched the Benji jean label and it was eventually stocked in over 24 stores and received celebrity stamps of approval from entertainers including Teyana Taylor and Trey Songz.
When the trend began to shift to joggers and sneakers in the early teens, the changing fashion winds began to cut into not just demand, but the designer’s own enthusiasm for the label. “I never really had any real branding or marketing and I started to felt boxed in as a hood brand,” Forbes said. “I saw the shift and decided to close Bengi jeans in 2013.”
With denim cycling back in a more artful way a couple of years ago, Forbes jumped back into the design game, though this time he’s strictly designing for women. “For men the silhouettes can be somewhat experimental,” explained Forbes, “but in terms of sexiness for women the possibilities are endless. You can go all out with full leg reveal.”
While his Instagram is his main tool of promotion, current pieces of World of Nandy can be made to order on worldofnandy.com.
Check out his latest designs below along with some archival images of Benji jeans
