Earnest Sewn Holiday Offerings

This October Earnest Sewn will try to please various denim lovers with their new "Kyrre" fit, which is slim, tapered, and super low rise. It will of course be available in a raw, unwashed state (yes, it sports a full selvedge side seam). Fellow fashion victims can use it to follow the raw denim, skinny leg trend but should keep in mind that the indigo WILL fade just as beauty does. It is nature's way. Some hardcore enthusiasts understand that this fading adds character. As ES's press team says, "with time, and without wash, the owner's unique wear patterns will begin to show, creating a lovingly, authentic pair of jeans."



But if you're thinking "Who has that much time?" (or Febreeze for that matter) then check out their "Bette" wash. Named after the restaurant in New York's Chelsea neighborhood the wash replicates some of the raw jeans worn by the waitstaff for six months. As you can see it is fairly subtle and clean (hope that doesn't mean business was slow).



Finally, check out the "Decca Trouser" in the "Tacoma" wash. The straight legs, trouser pockets and leg creases are meant to evoke a dress pants feel. Although I haven't seen it in person yet the cut looks interesting. I still recommend checking your office's dress code before walking in with jeans.



Earnest Sewn Website

Blue Holdings Getting Up Against the Wall

This Tuesday Blue Holdings, Inc., struck a deal to acquire Long Rap, Inc., which owns the Up Against the Wall retail chain. Long Rap, Inc. shareholders will get $16 million in cash and $16 million in common stock. Up Against the Wall has 24 stores in California, Maryland, Washington DC, Florida and Virginia (selling Seven for all Mankind, True Religion, Antik, LRG etc.). Las Vegas, Nevada, and Sacramento, California will see new store openings before year end.

Blue Holdings is a publicly trade company (NASDAQ: BLUE) that owns Antik Denim and licenses Yanuk, U and Taverniti So Jeans. Their current distribution is 80% specialty stores and 20% department stores.

Its Chairman/CEO/President Paul Guez has always wanted his own stores, as indicated in a recent interview with wallst.net. The move makes sense. Having their own channels allows Blue Holdings to identify and incubate new labels to market while maintaining strong control over how a brand is sold. Yet to open their own stores without an established player would have been risky, especially when all they have to offer is denim. Now the company can diversify with multiple fashion categories to ride out trends and obtain longevity.

As Adriano Goldschmied said in a recent DNR event, "when you open a store it's not about ego- 'Wow, I have a store!' -it's about being able to make your customer happy. You need to be in the position to offer the best in every single category...But, honestly, if you are not at that level, instead of making a positive thing you are making a negative thing."

Blue Holdings Website
Business Wire Press Release
Wallst.net Paul Guez Interview (Audio)

Decent Wash for Decent Denim

Washmaster and friend, David Johnson, is kind enough to share with us his latest wash development. This time it is for Decent Denim. His canvas is a fairly heavy, black 15.5 oz selvedge fabric from Cone Mills. The whiskers are made to look 3-D by use of resin (and perhaps other secret ingredients).

In the age of clean cuts and washes, this garment stands out with an interesting pattern and a well executed wash. Although this model is slated for Japan only you can check out other Decent Denim pieces at channels like Lounge in NYC and American Rag in San Francisco.



Decent Denim

Indo-Fab Price Slash

Fibre2Fashion is reporting that a glut of India/Pakistan/Bangladesh denim fabrics has led to 10% a price deflation. Mills like Arvind, Raymond, and Century have increased production capacities this year.

To those not in the piece goods biz- when capacity has increased mills must run close to it to achieve efficiency. Demand for those goods so far has not met the supply. That is how we see the 10% price decrease across the board.

Since I don't deal with mills from that region on a daily basis I cannot attest to the numbers.

Fibre2Fashion Article

Nathan Bogle No Longer a Threat

Nathan Bogle, co-founder of Rag & Bone, is leaving the company due to differences in design and direction with his partners. Bogle co-founded RB with Marcus Wainwright in 2001. He and designer partners Wainwright and David Neville were referred to as the "triple threat" team when they won the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation award this year. Back in February I reported that RB told the Fashion Wire Daily (FWD) they will continue with the "contemporary yet classic" style approach to their sportswear line.

Turns out this was not a unanimous decision as Bogle wanted to develop a more upscale line. Going forward Wainwright and Neville will continue to work on the sportswear collection.

Named after the independent recyclers of England streets, Rag & Bone is home to some gorgeous single rinse jeans. In fact I'm wearing a pair right now...

Tavex/Santista Merger

Quick note: This is the month when Spanish Tavex and Brazilian Santista Textil will complete their merger. The two textile companies will form a power house capable of 163+ million yards/year of goods.

Tavex's core product is denim. It sells to Diesel, Miss Sixty, and Blue Cult.

Santista has mills in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. Its customers include VF Corp. and Levi's.

Tavex Press Release (Spanish)

True Religion COO: Daryl Rosenberg

This just in from Business Wire:

"
True Religion Apparel, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRLG) today announced the appointment of Daryl Rosenberg as Chief Operating Officer of the Company, effective June 1, 2006. Mr. Rosenberg replaces Mark Saltzman and will oversee and be responsible for management of operations, production, customer service, warehouse distribution and facilities management for the company. He will also be charged with expanding the True Religion manufacturing base, both domestically and abroad. Mr. Rosenberg will report to Michael Buckley, the President of True Religion Apparel, Inc.

Mr. Rosenberg has extensive experience in the apparel industry and, in particular, in sportswear and denim manufacturing and distribution. From 1992 to 2005, Mr. Rosenberg was a Vice President involved in the production at l.e.i. (formerly R.S.V. Sport, Inc.), a division of Jones Apparel Group. l.e.i. is involved in the design, manufacturing and sales of sportswear and denim apparel to major department and specialty stores throughout the United States. While at l.e.i., Mr. Rosenberg helped managed the growth of the company moving the company from a regional wholesaler with less than $30 million in annual sales into a denim-based apparel powerhouse with sales in excess of $370 million. Additionally, during Mr. Rosenberg's tenure at l.e.i. he oversaw the growth of production from 200,000 finished garments per month to over 3 million per month.

Jeffrey Lubell, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of True Religion Apparel, Inc. commented, "The entire True Religion team is extremely excited to have Daryl join our company. We are looking forward to working with Daryl to continue to increase our production capacities to meet the ever-increasing demand for our products, to enhance our sourcing capabilities and to reduce product costs, thereby enhancing margins and increasing shareholder value. Daryl has achieved many great accomplishments in the denim market over the past decade and we are confident he will bring a valuable and insightful skill set to the True Religion Apparel, Inc. management team."

Mark Saltzman will continue with True Religion Apparel, Inc. in a consulting role until September 30, 2006.

"

True Religion Website