Ann's Blog

Meet Loden Dager

Paul Marlow (on left) started his studies in Fashion Design at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona in 1996. There he learned construction, patternmaking, draping. He started selling one-off pieces to consignment shops and small boutiques in Tucson, San Diego, Los Angeles and Chicago, living in each city along the way to New York. Upon arrival in New York, 1998, Marlow started working with a non-profit theater company doing costumes. This experience lead to work on films and performance art pieces. In 2001, he and Matthew Sandager started a subscription based t-shirt line of limited edition prints being mailed directly to customers. This expanded to an online retail store, as well as boutiques across the country and a yearlong presence at Bloomingdale’s. Late in 2001 he started his long-standing relationship with the Marc Jacobs family, a design internship which quickly turned into a regular freelance position for graphics, as well as assisting Alister Mackie, styling the men’s Marc Jacobs, and Marc by Marc Jacobs runway shows until 2004. In 2002 Marlow was brought on as Assistant Designer for the launch of Original Penguin. In 2003 he went on to be Design Director at Tory Burch for the first two seasons and the launch of the Elizabeth Street store. Returning to Marc by Marc Jacobs for the renewed push of the menswear line, he took on the role of Product Development Manager, focusing on fabric and factory sourcing, graphics, and wash development, as well as participating in design inspiration. In 2007 Marlow left MMJ full-time to focus on Loden Dager. Continuing to manage denim and wash development for Marc, he styled lookbooks, ad campaigns, retail stores and began more focused garment design work for various clients.

Oliver Helden majored in fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles and graduated in 1990. Upon graduating, he moved to San Francisco working as a design assistant for the firm, MM Sherman Wong Work Wear; an independent design firm that retailed at Barney’s New York, Ron Herman and a handful of high end specialty stores. It was at MMSW Work Wear that he learned the basics of design and small-scale production. In 1993 Helden moved to Esprit de Corps as a technical designer and strengthened his concentration in fitting, flat sketching, patternmaking and draping. 1996 brought a move to Gap Inc. at which he honed his technical skills and broadly diversified his fit expertise to include cut and sew knits,sweaters, wovens, and tailored wovens. In 2001 he launched his eponymous menswear line while continuing to freelance for Gap Inc as well as other San Francisco bay area companies. A position at Marc Jacobs that began in 2004 as a freelance arrangement to help the burgeoning Marc by Marc Jacobs men’s collection, soon became a permanent position that resulted in being the Director of Technical Design for the line. It was at Marc Jacobs that Marlow and Helden met and germinated the seed that would become Loden Dager.