Back to beginning . . .

This journey to start my brand happened over 25 years ago. When the inspiration came to me to start a premium petite brand. I feel like I was led there by something bigger than me. The journey to get my denim brand off the ground took over 6 years. With lots of lessons, struggles, and tears. From New York to China to Los Angeles and back to Hawaii - the journey was long and wide. But it’s where I learned how to make jeans and more importantly where I learned about my tenacity, resilience and creativity. Those things continue to service me till this day. 

When I look back, I know the lessons kept coming because I needed to grow and evolve to be here, right now in front of you, relaunching denim in a new way. 

Why I Started
At the start of my journey, premium denim was at its peak. “Denim bars” lined the streets of New York and Los Angeles. But every shop I visited lacked petite sizing options. Most shops would tell me things like “we don't have too many shorter girls shop here” or “you can just get them hemmed.” It was as if I was the only one that was looking for shorter denim. That my “problem” did not exist and I was alone struggling.

But the more research I did, I found that the average American woman is 5’3! I took it as my sign that the “problem” did exist and I could solve it.

The Journey
Launching denim back in 2008 was long and hard. Numerous issues with an overseas factory and several different LA factories showed me that being the solution to designing and creating petite denim wasn’t going to be easy. The lessons were painful ones but they taught me fortitude. To stand up for myself even though I was new to the game, even though I was a young woman battling against older, louder, opinionated men. To listen to my voice, forge my own path, and stand up for what I believe in. 

I think I learned these lessons all those years ago so that I could have the strength now to continue to forge my own path and lead with my truth. The Universe has taught me numerous times that when I fail to listen to my intuition, to be guided, I usually end up in pain. And when I allow the needs and voice of others to be louder than my own inner voice, it will usually end in struggle. 

The Relaunch
As the team and I began to plan out this relaunch, we were given many “learning opportunities.” I realized there’s still so much for me to learn and the industry as well as myself has changed so much. From sourcing and manufacturing, to production - there’s so much knowledge for us to learn and share with you. When I started, I only focused on 5 styles and manufactured with one factory. Now, 16 years later - we design, develop, source and manufacture over 30 - 50 different styles a season, and added 4 new and different styles of denim for this launch.

Re-entering the “Denim World” has taught me new skills and new ways to listen to my intuition on a deeper level. That’s been the biggest lesson - to be confident in what I know, to be patient in working with others, and finding a balance between following my intuition, listening to others input, and making the best decision for the business and YOU. I also have an amazing team supporting me this go around and we’ve all learned so many life lessons as well as how to make denim that’s comfortable and fits our body. So grateful that these opportunities give us the chance to grow in so many ways. 

So what’s new with this collection of denim? It’s evolved!
We took inspiration from my first collection and improved each style to be better and more. We sourced high quality fabrics from Italy and Turkey. We developed each style - tried it on different body types, made multiple samples, fit them, decided on measurements for sizing to ensure a good fit for you. And we worked with a Los Angeles factory that could finish the denim in the ways we wanted. 

The Styles
The first two styles were re-designed from one of my original styles. If you're familiar with the originals we had a Hotel + Smith Jean. We split what we loved about this original jean into two new styles and updated them to match our current needs.

The Hotel Jean is our slim, straight jean. Think skinny jeans with a straight silhouette from the knee down. It gives you a slim look while still balancing out your hips and thighs. We added the usual 4 pockets and a shaped back yoke to fit petite proportions. It has a higher rise and a half elastic waistband to offer comfort and durability, a shorter inseam so you don’t have to worry about heming. 

The Smith Jean is our straight jean. A version of a Boyfriend jean, with a slimmer hip fit and a more generous leg. Meant to be worn slightly dropped on the waist and crotch for that looser look.  The more fitted hip area gives it a more feminine feel and flatters your shape while the looser legs give you comfort and a youthful look.

The next style is a new one we’ve been working on for a while now. The Canal Pant is our side zip, skinny pants with princess seams and hem cuff detail. The back yoke and back pockets will give the pants a jean feel with simpler lines and classic details. It also has our shortest inseam at 25”.

And lastly but not least, this design is edgier and something I’ve been wanting in my closet. The Bowery Pant is our take on a balloon/barrel shaped pant. I wanted to create my own version of this with petite proportions. We took inspiration from our joggers and added a few fun details.  This pant has pleats in the front, to give you a trouser feel, with a higher rise. The legs flare out at the knee and shape back at the ankle.

It’s been a long time coming and I’m so glad and grateful that we can finally share this with you. From sourcing fabrics, finding a good manufacturer, and finalizing the styles, YOU were the inspiration behind it all. Finding the balance between a classic jean fit with petite details and sizing in mind. Understanding what measurements we needed to adjust for the midsection, hips, thighs, inseam - all of it was to balance design, details, quality and manufacturing. It all finally came together with a healthy dose of learning along the way.

This collection of denim is a compilation of learning and growth for me and this brand - to come full circle, back to my origins, a new, (hopefully) evolved entrepreneur. And to share all of it with you!

-Allison