RALEIGH -- You'd think after landing their Raleigh Denim jeans in two of the biggest names in luxury retail - Barneys and Saks Fifth Avenue - Sarah and Victor Lytvinenko could take a moment to enjoy their success.
But four years after launching what arguably has been the most popular clothing line to come out of Raleigh, there's little time to sit back and be complacent. There are, after all, speaking gigs to prepare for, retail shows to attend, new lines to launch and additional markets to tackle.
"We don't want to take it for granted," said Sarah during an interview at Raleigh Denim's workshop in downtown Raleigh's warehouse district. "You want to be pleased, but you don't want to be comfortable."
So far, the bulk of their success has hung on Barneys, who started carrying the men's jeans in 2008. Saks has picked up the men's denim line for spring in its New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Beverly Hills and Raleigh stores. Selfridges and Harrods in London also plan to carry the line.
Locally, Raleigh Denim is easier to find too. North Carolina boutiques such as Vert & Vogue on West Main Street in Durham, Niche Market and Poole Shop in Charlotte, and Centennial Trading Co. in Winston-Salem all carry the line.
Likely the biggest selection is available at Raleigh Denim's year-old Curatory, a retail store in the front of the workshop that sells more than just jeans. The store is run by Raleigh Denim's John Webb, an apparel industry veteran who knows quality and craft. He has stocked the store with interesting products, many of which can't be found anywhere else in the state.
Living the dream
The shop is a reflection of the company's philosophy. All of the designers included in the store share Raleigh Denim philosophies on craftsmanship, heritage, responsibility and style.
"Everything is pretty special in the store," Victor said. "We would go to market to sell but we would end up running into people who are doing the same things as we were."
Take, for instance, the peacoats. They're made by Fidelity Sportswear, the same company that's been making U.S. Navy peacoats since 1941. Or look for J.A. Christensen's ties, made from vintage fabrics and design methods from the 1930s.
Buy either one, and you'll likely have it for a lifetime, which is how Raleigh Denim likes it.
"We want people to buy less but better quality," Sarah said. "Get something that's really great, and then use it for a long time."
Aside from clothing and accessories, the Curatory sells letterpress cards, handmade candles, leather belts and local handcrafted jewelry.
When you're there, don't forget to look up. Sarah and Victor spent two weeks with friends (and lots of gin and tonics), before the store opened, folding 4,000 paper airplanes, enough to cover the entire ceiling.
Before you go, peek into the workshop. The company's 16 employees have found a groove lately, cutting down the time to make a pair of jeans by a third.
The Lytvinenkos, who met in high school before attending N.C. State University, are living the small-business owner's dream. They've had mentions in Elle, Lucky, Esquire and Southern Living magazines. Look for them in Fast Company and the Journal of Modern Craft. And they've been asked to speak on entrepreneurialism, particularly on how to have scales of economy without selling your soul, something they grapple with each day.
The fit that counts
Many designers would be happy with getting into Barneys and Saks, but the Lytvinenkos want more. Their next feat is to take a slice of the highly competitive women's premium denim market, a slow-growing, $680 million industry dominated by big brands such as Citizens of Humanity, J Brand and Paige Premium Denim.
They hope to compete at the middle to high end of the market with seven new styles of women's jeans, including a high waist, skinny leg, straight leg and boot cut, priced between $215 and $265.
No doubt it's a challenging next step for the company that the two founded out of their apartment off Oberlin Road. Women have proved they'll spend more than $200 for a pair of jeans, but they're a demanding and fickle bunch who'll only buy if the fit is perfect, especially in the backside.
And that's the tricky part - designing enough styles to fit all types of curves.
"We want these jeans to be a good fit on everybody," Victor said. "We developed a really solid base fit on the women's side and have been experimenting and expanding from there, making a good range of fits, styles and colors for spring."
Instead of using their trademark selvage denim, a raw denim they've used in their men's jeans that's stiff and structured, they're using a stretchy denim on most styles, the kind that many other denim makers already use for their finicky customers.
Their edge will be much of what's already made Raleigh Denim's men's jeans successful: The jeans will be handmade in the United States, all under one roof at their Martin Street workshop in downtown Raleigh, using as many locally and regionally sourced products as possible, something few other denim makers can claim
"I think it will happen slowly, which is fine by me," Sarah said.
"We're excited by how much room to play the women's line provides," Victor said. "It keeps designing denim fresh."
