Made Gold’s Marta Goldschmied won’t let men tell her how to do denim
Born in Italy and based in Los Angeles, Marta Goldschmied is killing it in the denim game.
If you think her last name sounds familiar, you’re not crazy — her dad’s Adriano Goldschmied, the godfather of designer denim.
Don’t assume she’s old-school because of that pedigree, though. Marta is a total innovator. Her Betty lace-up jeans have grommets climbing up the leg from ankle to thigh. Sexy and punky, yet sleek, these jeans have hugged the legs of Kehlani, Romee Strijd, Bella Hadid and Hailey Baldwin. Even our cover girls from the past (e.g. Keke Palmer, Kylie Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Charlotte McKinney) are spotted out and about the streets of L.A. wearing a pair of Made Gold jeans!
Should you buy a pair ASAP? Hell yes!
Before the denim doyenne found success, men have told her off for designing sexy jeans for women. Instead of backing down, Goldschmied hustled hard with her dreams and pushed her designs into reality. Thanks to her perseverance, Made Gold became the name that every girl in young Hollywood needs to have in her closet.
Today, we talk about where she found her inspiration for the infamous Betty jeans, how she fought against sexism, what it’s like to collab with young creatives and why she wants to bring back “butt cleavage.”
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You took after your dad by launching your own denim line Made Gold. What made you want to tap into the denim market?
I never went into the industry thinking of Made Gold as a denim line, so you could say it was an accident. I wanted to design dope pieces that would make a woman feel amazing and naturally[,] I started gravitating more and more towards denim.
I am beyond obsessed with your Betty lace-up jeans and I can’t get it out of my head! How did you come up with it?
The BETTY was a combination of the inspiration for the collection[,] which was the Chelsea Hotel which in itself [h]as a bad ass history. [T]hat combined with myself feeling caged and restrained in my corporate situation my designs, specifically the BETTY, became a way to rebel. I never in my wildest dream would have thought it would have turned into this phenomenon.
Denim for women is a field that’s been dominated by men. As a designer, when did you realize that a man’s idea for womenswear is different from what women want?
I have always felt that an old man isn’t probably the one to tell me what jeans would work best on me. The easiest way to explain it is [this]: a man always designs for one specific woman in Sex and The City [compared to real life] when every woman knows each one of us is a mix of all four [characters].
Although sexism exists in the fashion industry, there isn’t much attention to it when a woman’s design for a pair of sexy jeans is called “too slutty” whereas if a man does it, he has the privilege to get away with it. How has it affected you personally?
Personally[,] this is something that is extremely frustrating! If a male designed the BETTY[,] he’d probably be considered “the man” but because I am a woman, and god forbid one that feels empowers by her sexuality, I get labeled as “too slutty” or inappropriate. [T]his usually comes from guys – anyways[,] any girl that wears our jeans know [that] they can put on our designs and feel like they can conquer the world.
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Recently, you’ve collabed with Kehlani and stylist Farren Fucci. What is it like to work with them and how has that changed your life?
Working with creatives like Fucci is one of my favorite parts of the job! I was a big fan of his work so when I got the call I was extremely excited. This project was the inspiration behind rolling out our newest project Made Gold X Design which allows our girls to get personal and create their Made Gold pieces with me.
So many celebs are seen in your designs and you have brought lace-ups on jeans back into full swing. Have you always seen yourself as an influencer?
Honestly, I don’t take myself too seriously and I have definitely never looked at myself as an influencer. I think my advantage comes from having a deep knowledge of the history of denim as well as well as being part of this new wave of designers that isn’t afraid to make their own rules and is getting to have a whole new relationship directly with our customers through social media.
The one trend we adore from the 2000s is the butt cleavage! Why do you want to bring it back?
I am beyond obsessed with butt cleavage! In the pre-social media era when trends took a bit longer to trickle down, I remember the butt cleavage at the McQueen “Highland Rape” show. However being a 2000s teen, it really took over my life when I moved from Italy and obviously idolized Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and all the girls that influenced my design aesthetic.
Which denim trend do you wanna to end?
There are SO many denim trends I cannot stand but, really heavy whiskers on jeans give me nightmares at night.
Which celebrity (dead or alive) would you like to dress up?
This is one is easy — Gia Carangi.
Lastly, if you have a dream jean you never seen in stores, what will it look like?
Since the Betty has been knocked off all over, I cannot say too much and give them a head start on the next style I’m designing but it’s called the Paris and I promise it will be Galore approved. =)
