First there were television shows. Then came energy drinks. Now Orange County has its own line of jeans thanks to Laguna Beach Jean Co.
The company has launched the first OC-inspired upscale jeans for men and women.
Locals Steve and Christine Kim, veterans in the clothing business and owners of Fullerton’s Coyote Hills Golf Course, started Laguna Beach Jean Co. less than a year ago.
The company now sells its jeans, which run $139 to $700, in more than 200 boutiques across the nation including Passage on Melrose in Los Angeles, Lounge in New York, Just Jeans in Florida and Pittsburgh-based emoda.com.
“We’ve been in the business for a long time, making jeans for other companies that have blown up in the fashion industry,” Steve Kim said. “It just made sense for us to step out from behind the scenes and take a stab at the business.”
For the past 16 years, the husband and wife team ran factories that made jeans for high-end brands such as Vernon-based True Religion Apparel Inc., New York’s Rock & Republic, Marina Del Rey’s Blue Holdings Inc. and Affliction Clothing of Los Angeles.
They’ve watched the designer jeans trend boom as their clients gained notoriety in the fashion world.
They decided it was time to give it a shot on their own.
The Kims expect to sell more than 2 million pairs of jeans in the next two to three years, and are eyeing yearly revenue of about $140 million, they said.
Laguna Beach Jean counts 24 workers. A few, including the Kims, work from a La Habra home office. Most work at a 40,000-square-foot warehouse and showroom in Los Angeles.
The company plans to open two signature stores next year. One will be in Laguna Beach. The other in Los Angeles’ Melrose district. The Kims are in negotiations for the stores, which will sell the company’s jeans, T-shirts, shoes, hoodies, tank tops and accessories for men and women, Steve Kim said.
Upscale jeans are nothing new. Popular labels such as Citizens of Humanity, Seven For All Mankind, True Religion and Paige Premium Denim have created a name for themselves over the past several years.
The goal for Laguna Beach Jean: make it OC’s premier high-end denim brand, they said.
“Laguna Beach Jean Co. is all about bringing OC style to high fashion,” Christine Kim said. “We’re the first OC-inspired denim company to hit the high-end industry.”
The Kims pride themselves in offering a comfortable, yet stylish pair of jeans.
The line features 12 styles for men and 24 styles for women that range from boot cut to straight leg fits.
Each jean is named after an OC city: Crystal Cove, Sunset Beach and Corona del Mar are a few examples.
“My wife and I decided to name our jeans after our favorite Southern California beaches,” Steve Kim said.
They come in a variety of washes and are embellished with contrasted stitching, Swarovski crystals and elaborately decorated pockets.
The jeans are cut, sewn and washed in Los Angeles and made with materials imported from Asia. Third-party carriers deliver them to stores.
The company sells directly to a good chunk of its customers, according to Steve Kim. Some distributors also are tapped to sell them to boutiques.
Marina Kogan, co-owner of Internet clothing seller emoda.com, said customer response to the Laguna Beach brand has been strong.
“I think people like it because it’s new,” Kogan said. “Plus the OC theme is really big right now.”
The line has attracted a celebrity following, Kim said.
Model Bai Ling, rappers Bone Thugs In Harmony and Hollywood stylist Bobby Trendy wear the jeans, as does the cast of E Network’s reality show Sunset Tan.
Actor Sam Horrigan from this season’s CW Television Network’s reality series “Beauty and The Geek” likes their edgy design.
“The jeans are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It has a fresh concept,” he said.
Kim said he’s trying to boost the company’s brand by getting more celebrities to wear them.
“It’s about brand building,” he said.
Like most startups, the Kims face a slew of challenges.
The rising cost of materials, labor, energy and insurance, along with brand building, are big issues for the Kims, they said.
“But as long as the demand (for the jeans) is there, we’ll be OK,” Steve Kim said.
The company plans to attend trade shows for high-end clothing labels, including the Project Show in Las Vegas and Bread and Butter in Barcelona, Spain.
Exhibiting the line and networking in the industry should help to grow the company’s reputation and generate more clients, he said.
The company is also working to get its jeans into well-known retailers such as Los Angeles’ Fred Segal and Planet Funk.
“I want my jeans to be where True Religion and Antik Denim are at,” Kim said.
Laguna Beach Jean has had interest from investors, according to Kim. For now, he’s focusing on building the company.
“I just want to take this business one step at a time,” he said.
Although Laguna Beach Jean Co. is just getting started, the Kims are already planning to launch another denim brand called Taboo in the next year or so.
Taboo will be a pricier offshoot of the Laguna Beach denim line, with jeans selling for $1,000 or more, Kim said.
The plan is to sell the Taboo line at the company’s retail locations in Laguna Beach and Melrose.
