Cool Jeans, New-School Marketing
Vernon, Calif.–based premium-denim maker Iron Army caters to the young, hip Myspace generation with skinny “sewn wrong” jeans and an irreverent attitude. Owners Steve Dubbeldam and Steve Opperman— two 20-something downtown L.A. loft dwellers with a taste for indie music and youth culture—know it takes more than cool washes and fits to capture the imagination of fickle hipsters. They are, after all, their own ideal demographic.
The duo, which bleached and dyed their first batch of jeans in their local laundromat, takes a similar grassroots approach to marketing. Dubbeldam and Opperman rally their Iron Army troops not with ads or product placement but with events and interactive programs. Hosting a bevy of events, from a “fight night,” where the winner scores a pair of jeans, to parties where a roll of denim destined to be jeans serves as a “blue carpet” or dance floor, Iron Army looks to make a personal connection with its customers. Funny videos on the brand’s Myspace page depict Opperman and Dubbeldam throwing heavy rolls of denim at each other a la MTV’s stunt-prank hit “Jackass” and doing back flips on the floor of a trade show.
Dubbeldam says Iron Army’s events are not marketing. “We are creating a community around artistic events and projects that will cause people to ask the question, ’What kind of company would think to do that?’” he said.
Now Iron Army, which sells its jeans at top-level specialty retailers including Ron Herman at Fred Segal Melrose, Ron Hermanand Blue Jeans Bar in Los Angeles and Henri Bendel in New York, is embarking on a seven-month Internet “artistic event.” On Nov. 7, the brand began 777, a program in which seven guys will each wear a pair of Iron Army’s Hiro Ito raw jeans every day for seven months. Scattered across the globe from Oregon to Switzerland, the guys will check in on Iron Army’s Web site every 30 days with photos of themselves in the jeans and stories of their escapades in the denim.
“We wanted to launch a lifestyle art project that would allow people to follow along with the journey that a pair of jeans takes as they are lived in, traveled in and worked in. It’s like exposing the intimate details behind what makes a favorite pair of jeans,” Dubbeldam explained.
Rich & Skinny Denim
Denim veterans Joie Rucker and Michael Glasser have joined forces to launch Rich & Skinny, a new line of premium denim for the sexy set. The denim movers and shakers (Glasser is the co-founder of 7 For All Mankind and Citizens of Humanity; “jean queen” Rucker has worked for Levi’s and Guess and founded Joie Jeans, Puka and Archindigo) based the line on a specialty denim fabric that boasts 26 percent Tencel, a fiber made from eucalyptus wood.
The line debuted for Spring 2007 with four basic bodies, including a basic five-pocket jean, mini skirt and a denim legging, in four denim washes and five garment-dyed colors. By the line’s third delivery, Rich & Skinny will offer 15 bodies, including long, slim shorts, Capri-length pants and a flare jean. New color options are introduced with every delivery. The line, which wholesales for $76–$110, features a variety of special touches. Each jean has washed silk pocketing and waist-band lining, purple bar tacks, an embroidered velvet tag and a gold button inspiredby a vintage Cartier cufflink.
Rich & Skinny will retail at better specialty shops, including local tastemakers Lisa Kline, Planet Blue, Ron Herman at Fred Segal Melrose and Diane Merrick.
For more information, call (213) 624-0824.
Blue Cult Knits
Premium-denim maker Blue Cult has introduced a pared-down collection of knits for the Spring/Summer 2007 season. The 12- piece collection of women’s tops is made from Pima-cotton jersey and features simple, denim- friendly silhouettes. Key shapes include a yoked T-shirt with a silk/cotton inset and a racer-back sleeveless polo. A camisole tank with a sweetheart neckline makes for an ideal layering piece.
The collection of knits, which wholesales from $21.50 to $40, is quite a departure from Vernon, Calif.–based Blue Cult’s earlier tops offerings. Past knits collections featured Tshirt shapes embellished with washes, treatments and logos.
J & Company Debuts Select
Premium-denim maker J & Company has launched Select, a “hybrid of jeanswear and couture.” The new line of premium denim for men and women launched for Spring 2007 with four basic shapes designed by Silvio Marceca, former designer of Union brand jeans.
The understated jeans feature minimalist designs—a departure for Los Angeles–based J & Company, which is known for its signature embellishments and rock ’n’ roll touches.
J & Company plans to limit Select’s retail distribution, keeping its retailer roster to 50 stores. Wholesale prices for the line will range from $80 to $100.
