Submitted by Melissa Howsam — Correspondent
Patching a hole in the city-center shopping district, Raleigh Denim weaves its way onto the emerging downtown Raleigh retail scene with the unfurling of their highly anticipated up-and-coming Warehouse District shop on November 13.
A concept handcrafted by savvy husband-and-wife denim duo Sarah and Victor Lytvinenko, twill textiles and trad values take center stage and make eco chic, as they stitch higher standards, cutting-edge style and sustainable southern comfort into a fashion industry reeling from threadbare values of fast products, outsourced labor, mass production and lower quality goods.
At the forefront of this trending shift toward higher quality, eco-friendly design, these crafty couturiers cast clothes that are good for the body, the community, the environment and, thus, the soul. So, if you are what you wear, you can finally feel good about it.
We recently caught up with Sarah Lytvinenko, as she spins the yarn on how these design and textile tycoons — who got their start in a small in-apartment shop — have worked themselves into the fabric of the fashion-forward future, and how that vision is changing the face (and the legs) of the fashion industry.
Q: How did Raleigh Denim first get its start?
Victor had some downtime between travels and started figuring out how to make a pair of jeans for himself, based on a really well-fitting pair of pants he picked up in Europe. They were falling apart, and it was hard to find something comparable in the states at the time. I was in design school and got involved by helping refine patterns/fit and graphic design. Denim was our focus because we primarily wore jeans, but to be honest, we didn't fully understand the scope of its beauty, possibility or legend when we began. That all came as we got to know the folks at Cone Denim, and as we traveled and talked to sewers and weavers from generations before. Needless to say, we were immediately hooked. There was a lot to fall in love with and learn about.
Q: In a mass-production driven industry, Raleigh Denim makes a craft of producing quality denim out of mostly locally sourced materials. How would you characterize Raleigh Denim's process, and how does that process shape the uniqueness of its product?
We don't use any automated machines, so we do lots of single needle stitching. Our back-pocket shape and stitching is the best example of that. The notch on the back pocket distributes the wear so it doesn't blow out at the corner. The crosshatch stitch at the corners shows that we single-needle stitched the pocket. We use a rare hemming machine, the original chain stitch hemming machine, called the Union Special 43200G. There are a handful of them around, but very few people/companies use them for production. We've got a few that we are really proud of. We screen print an X-ray of the hip joint on the inside pockets as a nod to how the jeans conform to the body as they break in. We have Cone Denim labels sewn into the pockets to show that we use the real-deal-denim. Victor and I sign each pair because we take pride in our craft. It takes us about 8 times longer to make a pair of jeans in our shop than it does most factory jeans.
Q: How would you characterize Raleigh Denim's style?
I'd say our style is clean, tough and a little bit elegant. That's what we try to capture in our work. We find ourselves marrying old and new, incorporating tradition + heritage but making them relevant now.
Q: What is the significance of the opening of Raleigh Denim's first retail spot in downtown Raleigh's Warehouse District and what impact do you expect it to have on the local fashion 'scape?
It's a big deal for us to open a store for a few reasons. First, it means we've grown enough to warrant a retail space for our line, which Victor and I are excited about and grateful for, seeing as Raleigh Denim is only a couple years old. It's also a platform for showcasing other labels and artisans we admire. There isn't a lot of retail downtown, especially men’s retail, and especially in the Warehouse District, so we're happy to be filling a void in the Raleigh market.
Q: What does Raleigh Denim have in store for its fall and winter collection?
We've got all new styles of men’s jeans, made with denim Cone Mills has woven exclusively for us. We'll have a small stack of women's jeans. And we're working on new leather goods. We'll also have some of the pieces from the fashionSPARK show — shirtdresses, skirts, shorts, ties, etc.
Raleigh Denim and Design Box will both be open on the Saturday, November 13th, with food and drinks and live music for a bit and celebration in general. Raleigh Denim hours are 1-6 that Saturday.
