I just returned from Los Angeles to meet with a new jeans manufacturer.  Why did I have to do that when we’ve been making jeans in Los Angeles for five years with the same trusted sewing contractor throughout?  Well, Rock and Republic (a luxury denim brand) also used this contractor and that’s how this story starts.

The contractor’s business strategy was to have one anchor brand that kept him busy — that was Rock and Republic.  Then they had a few smaller brands like Todd Shelton that filled in the gaps.  When Rock and Republic filed for bankruptcy in Spring 2010, writing off their debt was too much for our contractor — they closed shop.  So — we had to find a new contractor.

We spend years developing relationships like these, so it’s always “bad timing” to have something like this happen.  But the timing here was particularly challenging, because we had customers waiting on jeans.

I leaned on some trusted contacts in Los Angeles, and we went to work researching potential replacements.  We chose a contractor that came with excellent referrals and philosophically fit well with the Todd Shelton brand.  We look to work with people who value quality, have an eye for details, and generally treat people with respect.  It takes time to find people like this, but when we do, it’s always exciting.

With our decision made, I flew out to LA to get our relationship with the new contractor underway. 

The good news is that this change brought new ideas to the table, and that means more excitement for our denim line.  And while we hate making our customers wait, we also can’t give them anything but our best jean construction.  So to all of you who have been so patient, I apologize and appreciate your unwavering support.  You guys have been amazingly patient throughout this process.

I promise we are going to deliver you a pair of jeans that will be better than ever, and that the wait will be worth it. And to those of you who haven’t tried a pair of Todd Shelton jeans yet, now’s a perfect time to do it.  Thanks everybody.