Joan Smalls Reveals Her #1 Must-Have for Jeans

Joan Smalls knows a thing or two about clothes. As someone, who gets paid to put them on (and then take them off again), she has become an expert on what looks good on the body. This is exactly why denim brand True Religion chose to collaborate with Smalls on a second collection. Get to know her and her denim must-haves, ahead.

How much of yourself did you put into this collection?
"Designing is like a marriage; you discuss. I have my likes and [True Religion knows] their consumer. We keep an open line of communication."

What were your denim memories growing up?
"I have two sisters, so I had a lot of hand me downs! When I did get new ones, I would buy the double zero size, which were still too big, so I learned how to sew on my mother’s sewing machine. I would sew the inseam all around to the front."

Sounds ambitious!
"I was a designer back then without even knowing it. I knew my jeans looked too baggy and my butt looked flat. I am already skinny, but I knew I didn’t need my pants to sag. Even now, I always think the butt has to look good. I walk around the streets of New York with my boyfriend and I’ll see a woman with a good pair of jeans, and we’ll joke that she's got a butt because it looks so good in her denim. I hope somebody thinks that about me!"

Below, Smalls's True Religion campaign.