For years, Craig Robinson’s name has been synonymous with sexy, slightly gangsterish three-piece tailored suits – the kind that give his devoted rock ‘n’ roll clients like Interpol, Kasabian, Calla, Franz Ferdinand, and Death Cab For Cutie a little added stage-swagger. But long before the New Mexico native started custom-crafting such gentlemanly attire, he was just a jeans designer.

“That’s how I got started,” he explains. “Had a little shop on Route 66. Worked with super-heavy 14-ounce denim, the kind used back in the Gold Rush. Did pretty well.”

That was a decade ago. Aside from his current location (he now has an elegant atelier on Fifth Avenue), not much has changed in the way he designs his jeans. He still works with sturdy, raw denim. Still cuts his signature slim silhouettes with a slight ‘70s flare. Still prefers to forego back pockets for a streamlined trouser-like aesthetic (although there is a “Quad” style with four pockets, including two in the rear). And he still champions horizontal, straight-line ‘bison’ front pockets – “they come from the word ‘kiss’ in French,” he explains. “Because the two sides look like they’re kissing.”

And still, stylish musicians find Robinson’s impeccably-tailored denim pants second-to-none.

“They’re the only jeans I wear,” admits Ezra Reich, the 27-year-old lead singer of his eponymous New Wave Cabaret act. “Except on stage,” he adds. “I never wear jeans to play a show – it’s just too purely rock ‘n’ roll.” Inspired by David Lynch films, and Helmut Newton photographs, Reich’s show attire is a bit more unconventional, and “colorful,” as he puts it. For instance, the “very Vivienne Westwood” electric-blue Craig Robinson jumpsuit he sported during his U.K. tour last month. “It’s stretchy,” he shrugs, attempting to explain its appeal.

However, his daywear is decidedly more low-key. Dressed in a vintage black leather jacket from the now-defunct thrift shop Cheap Jack’s, battered Italian leather boots, and a white dress shirt and dark pair of jeans courtesy of Robinson, Reich plays the part of the 1970s hustler-styled indie-rock musician well.

Any old jeans just wouldn’t do: “I’m into the fact that Craig’s jeans are tight with a flare,” says Reich. “It’s a vintage-y cut, but unlike vintage, the denim is stiff – which is good, because I wear my clothes hard.”

Get Yours:

Craig Robinson jeans, $315, available at Eva, 227 Mulberry St., NYC; (212) 925-3208 For more info on Craig Robinson or to schedule a fitting appointment, check out craigrobinsonnyc.com

Listen To Ezra Reich’s music at ezrareich.com
See him perform next on February 16th at Fat Baby, 112 Rivington St., NYC; (212) 533-1888; fatbabynyc.com

Ezra Reich photos by Alisa Gould-Simon