How the PAIGE Co-Founder Went From Being a Fit Model to Launching Her Own Brand

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PAIGE co-founder and Creative Director Paige Adams-Geller went from working as one of the top fit models to launching her namesake brand in 2005. For her, working as a fit model was fashion boot camp. "I felt like I went to fashion 101 school, and I fell madly in love with design, and premium denim became an expertise of mine," she said.

After working as a fit model, Adams-Geller realized there was a hole in the market for a denim brand created from a female designer's perspective. "I really wanted to showcase what I wanted to wear," she said.

In the latest episode of Who What Wear With Hillary Kerr, Adams-Geller shares how her fit modeling background helped her launch PAIGE, the one PAIGE item she can't stop wearing, and more.

For excerpts from their conversation, scroll below.

Talk to me a little bit about starting the brand, and let's go back to some of those early days of the business.

I always like to share a little bit about my history, personally, before I start talking about the brand. I think that it really makes sense when you understand that part of my life. I grew up in Alaska. I left Alaska at the age of 16 when I graduated high school and moved to New York to model.

I was in the entertainment industry for a bit and then went to USC to go to university. When I got out of university, I still wanted to be in the entertainment world. I was acting and singing and modeling and, unfortunately, realized that because of my Me Too experiences, that was not going to be a healthy environment for me.

When I was reconsidering my career, I fell into this world of what is known as a fit model. That is how I was introduced to fashion in a different perspective other than modeling. When I started working as a fit model, I was introduced to all different kinds of fashion, where I actually got to be the body, where the garments were draped upon and the patterns were created. I felt like I went to fashion 101 school, and I fell madly in love with design, and premium denim became an expertise of mine.

Then I began working as a fit consultant and design consultant for a lot of the most successful companies that were born during those years. After being very fulfilled working as a fit model and design consultant, I felt that there was a missing link where there needed to be a brand born and created from a female designer's perspective and creative director's perspective that really could introduce denim in a new way and showcase what I think all of us were looking for at that time.

That is really how the brand was born. I really wanted to showcase what I wanted to wear and think about denim as the foundation of a wardrobe in different fits so that you could end the drama and the trauma of trying on denim.

Talk to me about that first collection. What were some of the key pieces? I always love an origin story moment.

This was when low-rise jeans were everything. All I could find were low-rise jeans that were maybe just right above the playing field—like dangerous. They were so low.

Those were the things that were challenging. It was, "How can I create a low-rise bootcut that is super flattering but still kind of really works on the female figure?" The way we're built, things always react better on a body when they're a little higher in the back and a little lower in the front because it helps sit on the hips and stay, and they don't drop as much. The Laurel Canyon jean was born. That was the first jean I ever designed.

Laurel Canyon came in this beautiful Italian Candiani denim. That denim was feminine with the twill lines. It didn't look super rugged and rustic. That denim in indigo form could create lots of beautiful washes. We had the Laurel Canyon in light, medium, and dark. Then we had light destruction, medium destruction, and dark destruction. Those were the six washes, and that was the first jean.

Then we developed a few other jeans that were a little bit more trouser-centric because I wanted something to be a little bit more dressy and elevated. There was a jean that was called the Santa Monica trouser, and there was a Brentwood trouser, and then there was a Sunset Boulevard miniskirt.

All of these fits came in all those different washes. We also had a Mulholland Drive. That was another trouser. Everything was based off of L.A. streets and L.A. lifestyle.

What would you wear for brunch with friends?

There's this really cool jean that we have out that's called the Bella, and the Bella came in a dark rinse, and it also came in kind of a dark-black rinse.

Now for spring, it's in this really fresh powder blue. The Bella is very cool. I feel like the cool girl when I wear it, so that's why I'd want to wear it to brunch with my friends. I would wear it, though, with a feminine top that's a little eyelet blouse that's called the Juno top to kind of make it a little bit more like yin and yang.

I could top it off with a leather jacket if I needed to to add a little spice. I would either wear it with a pair of sneakers—depending on if we are going someplace chill—but then I could also wear that a little dressed up with the heel and feel like I look super chic.

What is one item that you just can't stop wearing right now? What is your hyper-fixation piece right now, in terms of your wardrobe?

I'm actually wearing the bottoms right now. It's my Angela maxi skirt. It's a vintage black washed long maxi skirt with a slit up the front. I cannot stop wearing it. It also comes in indigo denim. I feel like this is the freshest new wardrobe piece that I have.

I also am obsessed with the Sasha jean. If I'm not wearing this skirt, I'm wearing the Sasha jean, and I'm dressing it up or down because the Sasha jean I can wear sneakers with or heels or boots.

Then this skirt is my new fixation that I just moved on from the Sasha.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Next, check out our interview with Wes Gordon.