Agave Denim Takes a Holiday
Premium-jeans manufacturers are eternally searching for new markets, and Jeff Shafer has found a category that is often ignored in fashion: 25- to 45-year-old men.
“He doesn’t have a lot of options,” Shafer said of his target customer. “He likes fashion but not clothes that are too whimsical or too daring.”
Shafer founded Agave Denimsmith, based in Santa Monica, Calif., specifically for these men. On Nov. 4, he celebrated the launch of Agave’s Holiday season at contemporary menswear boutique Black & Blue in Los Angeles.
So far, Shafer’s hunch about men’s denim has been right. Agave shipped $250,000 in jeans in 2003, his first year of business, and $1.2 million in jeans in 2004. He also introduced a knits line in 2004, with shirts made out of Supima, the same soft, but strong cotton that gives his jeans a sturdy, but comfortable feel. He forecast the knit and denim line will earn more than $3 million in 2005.
The tequila and tacos served at the party put the crowd of about 300 in a holiday mood. Guests also donated jeans to Phoenix House, a Lake View Terrace, Calif.–based nonprofit that manages substance-abuse treatment programs.
Black & Blue co-owner Darrell Rae has donated clothes to Phoenix House for the past five years. When looking for a nonprofit to include in the event, he said Phoenix House seemed like a natural fit. Alexis Smith, resource manager for Phoenix House, said that while apparel donations are a tradition for the nonprofit, the denim drive was a first for the organization. For more information on Phoenix House, contact Smith at (818) 686-3000. —Andrew Asch
