Kaia Gerber and Re/Done’s CEO Talk Building an All-American Brand

Reported by Vogue.

Kaia Gerber's 2026 is stacking up to be a lot of things: debut publisher, television lead, and now fashion investor. In January, Los Angeles denim label Re/Done announced Gerber as investor, creative partner, and advisory board member — a role she describes as a natural extension of a brand she's worn for years. Her first curated edit, a capsule of archive re-issues and new vintage-inspired pieces, is live now, accompanied by a campaign starring Gerber herself. Think the Re/Done signatures that built its reputation: raw-hem denim, white tees, tanks, an oversized leather jacket.

From Cult Denim to American Luxury

Re/Done has cultural history worth protecting. Founded in 2014 by Los Angeles entrepreneurs Sean Barron and Jamie Mazur, the brand earned its following through upcycled denim and effortless California cool — a genuine industry-insider favorite before that phrase became meaningless. But the competitive landscape shifted. Upstarts like EB Denim and a reinvigorated Agolde started eating its lunch with Gen Z, and the brand went, as new CEO Phillip Prado puts it, "a little bit dormant." Prado arrived in June 2025 after twelve years at Gucci, hired designer Meredith Kahn — founder of her own jewelry label — as head of design, and then brought Gerber into the fold six months later. His stated ambition: transform Re/Done from cult denim brand into a full American luxury lifestyle label. Given that its jeans already run $295 to $495, according to Vogue, the infrastructure for that positioning is already partially in place.

What makes this partnership worth paying attention to is the structure of it. Prado was explicit that he didn't want a celebrity endorsement — he wanted someone embedded in product decisions, casting, storytelling, and brand direction. Gerber, who has made similar moves with activewear brand Vuori, is increasingly uninterested in simply lending her image. "As I get older, I am more interested in collaborations rather than just lending my face," she said. The result is a creative dynamic that apparently involves shared mood boards, flea market runs with Kahn, and Gerber showing up to early collection meetings with fully formed references — not waiting to be handed something to approve. Prado called it a genuine surprise.

Gerber's first full collection for the brand arrives in September, with a larger creative rollout planned for July. Prado's broader roadmap includes ready-to-wear expansion, retail experiences, and global growth — all orbiting a denim core that the brand has no intention of abandoning. The timeline is deliberate: product development cycles run 12 to 14 months, and this May capsule was fast-tracked through Re/Done's Los Angeles factories specifically to generate momentum before the heavier launches hit.

The bet Re/Done is making is that in a market saturated with fast fashion volume plays, a brand with genuine roots, real product, and a creative partner who actually wears the clothes can still build something with longevity — and Gerber, for her part, seems to understand exactly what she signed up for.

Read the original at Vogue.