The Cool Kids Are at Kingpins
New York–based garment and fabric agent Olah Inc. helps link denim brands with sources all over the world. “Essentially, we’re the middleman,” said Andrew Olah, the company’s co-founder. But, with services that range from product and textile development to full-package manufacturing, Olah Inc. is shaping the way some denim makers do business. “We’re very selective about who we work with,” Olah said. “We won’t work with just anybody. And that’s the problem with these big, traditional textile and sourcing shows. Too many people have access to you, and you spend half of your time trying to figure out if the people you’re talking to are actually potential clients. It’s a massive waste of time.”
As an antidote, Olah Inc., which has been in business for more than 30 years, launched Kingpins—an exclusive, invite- only denim sourcing show—three years ago in New York. With exhibitors pulled from its roster of vendors and handpicked attendees, Kingpins caters to an exclusive clientele. “I hate shows. They’re just too big. When there are 1,000 exhibitors, you can’t accomplish anything. I wanted to make a show that was small and casual and about being creative and talking about product,” Olah said. With six East Coast editions under its belt, Olah Inc. brought its show to California last October with good results. On March 7–8, Kingpins returned to Los Angeles for its second installment with a select handful of Olah Inc.’s sources, including the Kurabo mill in Japan and Tunisian denim textile maker Sartex.
Held in a converted, open-air loft north of downtown, the show’s approximately 50 attendees and 13 exhibitors (which ranged from textile mills, garment manufacturers and hardware suppliers from China, Italy, Brazil and Argentina to XLA, a new stretch fiber from Dow Fiber Solutions in New York) enjoyed a relaxed atmosphere. On both nights, Olah Inc. treated its guests to parties—with one night culminating in an informal jam session for denim makers with rock-star aspirations. “Doing business is an intimate affair,” Olah said, adding he doesn’t want to grow the show much beyond its current format of 50 to 60 attendees.
Mixing exclusivity with a casual atmosphere, Olah Inc.’s Kingpins show is as much about nurturing relationships as it is about the business of denim. “It’s about the human relationship, but it’s also about being truly invested in the business,” Olah said. To that end, every vendor at the show is wellestablished and maintains its own factory or mill. “These are companies that have actually made a capital investment.”
The Kingpins concept seems to have caught on with California’s denim makers. 7 For All Mankind, True Love & False Idols, Rock & Republic, Kasil, True Religion, Habitual, Serfontaine, Hause of Howe, Lucky Brand, Paige Premium Denim and many other premium-denim brands have shopped the West Coast show. Olah Inc. also invited another California powerhouse industry: surf apparel manufacturers. Volcom, Ezekiel, Quiksilver and Circa shopped the show for denim sources and full-package garment manufacturers.
David Lim, owner and creative director of Los Angeles–based Kasil, shopped the show for the first time this month. “It’s a nice boutique show—young, hip, energetic. It’s great for emerging brands, and I made some great contacts,” Lim said. And, while he appreciated the laid-back vibe, Lim added he’d like to see more vendors in the future. Alex Vaz, a co-owner of Compton, Calif.–based True Love & False Idols, launched denim for Fall 2007 and also shopped the show for the first time. While he didn’t find exactly what he needed, Vaz said the show was a good place to network and learn about denim.
Besides creating a nice working environment and goodwill in the denim industry, Olah Inc. stands to expand its client roster with every deal that’s brokered at Kingpins. As the vendors’ agent, Olah Inc. will facilitate business dealings between them and their new Los Angeles–based clients. “It could be a pro if it makes the transition for us easier. If something goes wrong, it could be a con because it represents overhead we wouldn’t have had otherwise. I’m optimistic. I think we’re going to give it a try,” Lim said. Olah Inc. has a Los Angeles office at 1855 Industrial St., headed up by Brad Mowry.
Kingpins will return to Los Angeles in October. For more information about Kingpins, visit www.kingpins.info. For more information about Olah Inc., visit www.olah.com.
London Calling True Religion
Los Angeles–based publicly traded True Religion Apparel Inc. has announced plans to open its first foreign office, in London. Kelly Furano, the denim maker’s director of international sales, will relocate from Los Angeles to London to further the brand’s European growth.
“As the True Religion brand continues to evolve into a global lifestyle collection, the time is right to place a greater focus on growing internationally, and this can only happen by placing our own team on the ground in Europe to support the wholesale growth and possible rollout of retail stores,” Michael Buckley, president of True Religion, said in a statement.
