Red Engine
Red Engine Jeans has opened a corporate showroom in the Cooper Design Space with the intention of getting a bigger piece of the L.A. denim market.
The 7-year-old company, founded by James Boldes, produces premium denim with Italian fabrics that are washed and sewn in Los Angeles. The company produces about eight bodies featuring a variety of washes and finishes. The jeans retail for $130.
Most of the items have a vintage appeal but the line is driven by fit and comfort, said Kim Harlan, director of marketing.
The company was founded in 1998 in Boldes’ Laguna Beach garage. “The UPS trucks couldn’t get through, the streets are so small there. We had to carry the shipments down the hill,” Harlan said.
With its first corporate showroom now open, the company plans to grow its brand as well as its market share with the heavy hitters of the Los Angeles denim market. It currently has about 650 accounts with mostly independent boutiques. The company does no advertising but has managed to get editorial coverage from most of the major fashion magazines. Meg Ryan recently wore a pair of the jeans on the cover of Glamour. The company’s Los Angeles–area retail accounts have also found some celebrity appeal, which has fueled sales.
“The ’Gastineau Girls’ were just in here and bought some, and Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs are customers, too,” said Jennifer Leeser, a manager at the Horn boutique on Robertson Boulevard. “Our customers like the fit and the stretch-ability.”
Red Engine Sales Manager Gina Gomez said the key is to work with ultra-soft Italian denim. “It’s flattering on everyone’s body type. Your style comes out with these,” she said.
Red Engine is gaining momentum. Sales on the West Coast have soared 83 percent over last year. Sales in the first quarter of 2005 have already surpassed company-wide sales for last year. Red Engine’s bread and butter is a basic five-pocket low-rise style in stretch twill, which accounts for 85 percent of sales, but the company also makes jackets, skirts, shorts and cropped pants.
The company, currently located in suite 309, will relocate to the larger suite 310 next month. —Robert McAllister
