Time and time again, we hear of creativity and success happening during the toughest times. We’ve heard that pressure makes diamonds. With that being said, it’s only right then, that Denise Focil, founder of the clothing brand, AS by DF, would start a luxury ready-to-wear business during an economic downturn and now reach the 15-year milestone of her brand. This is hard work and dedication from someone who does not shy away when the going gets tough, and if there is a setback, that’s just all the more reason to keep going to get things right.
Denise Focil is a visionary who made her dreams a reality, having created a contemporary brand of fashionable luxe leather pieces tackling and disrupting the leather apparel industry one garment at a time. Having started AS by DF during the 2009 economic recession did not mean that many questions about “Am I really doing this and during this time?” did not occur. At times, Focil thought she was crazy for starting her business at such a time, but nothing was going to stop her from creating the perfect leather jacket. Focil has always had a competitive drive and strong perseverance, and it definitely has helped to have come from a family—notably of all boys and parents who never settled for second best—that still to this day does not give up. “You pick yourself up, try again, pivot, do what you have to do, but giving up is never an option,” said Focil.
For Focil, it was always leather, being drawn to the material drawn ever since her teenage years. She remembers the first leather pants she had owned, saving every dollar to be able to get them. She saw leather as a form of expressing rebellion, strength and power, having stated, “It was limitlessly cool. No one looked uncool in leather. How could any material be better?” She added, “I was so obsessed with dressing women in leather—giving them the strong armor to wear during their most important moments—nothing could stop me. I saw a void in the market and I believed I could fill it.”
Focil has had proven success with her brand. The first popular item that she ever made was the “Moto Leather Jacket,” which also happened to be the reason she wanted to start her label in the first place. The “Moto Leather Jacket” has remained a constant bestseller and core pillar of her brand. Following this item, came the iconic “Mrs. Smith Stretch Leather Dress,” stretching and molding to every woman’s shape, being Focil’s absolute number one bestseller today. On top of having popular items, many of today’s big name celebrities, such as Selena Gomez, Kelly Rowland, Demi Lovato, Jenna Ortega, Kourtney Kardashian, Jennifer Hudson, Jessica Alba, Angela Bassett, Becky G, Thalia and Alessandra Ambrosio, have all been spotted out and about wearing her brand.
Having been in the fashion industry for 15 years, is a journey of success that ultimately happened through initiation, adaptation and evolution. Focil stated, “One of the most important things in running a fashion business is to be able to evolve. Fashion is just a reflection of the times, a reflection of what’s happening in the world. It’s history told visually.” When Focil first created her brand, she was mindful of the time and situation the world was in. She incorporated casual pieces such as simple tees, easy pieces alongside core leather staples that felt right in 2009. Over time, the brand evolved into less tees and casual pieces, and more into special pieces that women wanted to wear when they wanted to stand out. In 2019, Focil eliminated all plastic from packaging and went plastic free with her brand. She also devised hang tags that are biodegradable and strewn with poppy seeds the buyer can plant at home. Even her packaging contains no plastic waste materials. Focil also donates $10 from each recycled leather sale to non-profit organization Ocean Conservancy, which protects our oceans.Taking that a step further, in 2021 she introduced “Recycled Leather,” which is made up of leftover scraps of leather left on factory floors and rebonded back together. In 2022, Focil started a leather upcycling program, introducing upcycled skins to be made into garments, which involved getting creative with cuts, patterns and colors. Focil stated, “It’s been a constant evolution, and if you ask me Are you done?,’ I say ‘Absolutely not.’ We have been working with mills on being able to make leather in a lab, using vegetable materials for a long time. [We’re] just waiting for technology to catch up to our sustainable goals.”
With fashion being a huge industry and Focil’s desire to do her best, having an
all hands on deck team is a must. She loves a collaborative spirit, people who bring ideas to the table, people who challenge the way her team currently does business and those who think outside the box. FocilI always looks to hire people who think like entrepreneurs and believes everyone needs to have a startup mentality, ensuring we stay nimble and creative.
Over 15 years, Focil has learned so much from good and bad decisions regarding supply chain. One of those things has been collaborating with manufacturers who master the type of product
she is trying to make. When Focil first started out, she thought it was a good idea to make all different types of product under the same roof, but over the years, she learned that experience and expertise goes a long way, having hit so many roadblocks “trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.” The same goes for retailers she and her team work with, as she likes to partner with retailers that understand her brand and have the same point of view. Focil values retailers that appreciate quality, slow fashion and caring for the planet. She said, “It feels great when I work with a new retail partner and they celebrate artistry, a beautiful garment, dressing for the day you want to have.I want to be around people who celebrate quality over quantity.”
In honor of 15 years for the brand, for its “Crystal” anniversary, AS by DF is introducing “The Naked Collection.” The collection is a celebration of the brand’s best-selling iconic leather dress while celebrating all women of all colors. Focil said, “I wanted to really make a collection that felt sophisticated, sexy and celebrated what we are all about—empowering all women.”
There’s much more in store for AS by DF for the years to come. The brand is currently expanding into Europe for the first time and Focil finds it to be so exciting. She said “ It’s a new chapter. I see so much expansion in the future. At the moment it’s clothes, but just you wait until I make shoes.” Focil sees herself selling globally and expanding to other markets much broader than North America and Europe. She sees the brand having many more categories including accessories that tie back to the beautiful clothes they make and in general, being one of the first brands to break ground in the sustainable leather space.
