Denimology

Retailer Q & A - ShopFarinellis.com

This week we have a Retailer Q & A with Mauro Farinelli - Owner of Farinelli's. He recently collaborated with Michael J Krell on a limited-edition hoodie and will be releasing a limited-edition pair of jeans with Crate later this month.

Don't forget to also take advantage as a Denimology reader of the code "ilovejeans" for 20% off your purchase at checkout at ShopFarinellis.com.

1) Why do you think is it that after 200 years jeans are still one of the most popular items of clothing?
I don't think modern science has made anything cooler yet. 

2) Denim retail is a competitive business, how do you ensure that your shop stands apart from the rest?
My dad used to say, "If your friends ate shit, would you eat shit?" We offer the best customer service, we offer the best products. If you're going to be a follower and follow your friends then eat shit. If you want to stand out and be a forward thinker and appreciate quality, customer service, and fashion at its best then you'll come to us.

3) With hundreds of denim brands to choose from how do you decide which to stock?
That's an easy question. 98% of the denim brands, premium or lower, are complete garbage.

Continued (with more photos)...

Store Spotlight - Chuck's Vintage

These days shopping is a pretty bland corporate experience with every high street and mall having the same selection of stores. That's why I love places like Chuck's Vintage (on Melrose Avenue in LA), this place literally oozes soul, these guys have will have forgotten more about denim than most people will ever know. I haven't visited there since it changed its name from Golf Punk a while back but you can tell from these photos that this is place created for and owned by real denim lovers.

Owner Madeline (shown above) came up with concept of an americana vintage store specializing in California workwear. Every item in the store has its own story - which is not something you would get at Abercrombie!. Their vintage Levi's start at $300 and continue on up to $12,500 and above for the older mining styles.

If you have a store selling denim and you would like to be featured on Denimology then please send me an email telling me why you love denim so much.

Retailer Q & A - Tobi.com

This week we are starting a regular new feature where we interview the people behind some of the biggest denim retailers. We start with Catherine Chow, Founder of one of the web's best fashion-forward stores Tobi.com.

1) Why do you think is it that after 200 years jeans are still one of the most popular items of clothing?
Denim is an amazing and sustainable fabric. From work wear to fashion, denim is a casual way to really express individual style. Denim also has unique characteristics that change in time and become personal with wear.

2) Denim retail is a competitive business, how do you ensure that your shop stands apart from the rest?
We look for quality, fit, and style. We recognize that some styles are a trend but core fits are a staple for denim lovers. We provide excellent product knowledge and help our customers get into the right denim for them.

3) With hundreds of denim brands to choose from how do you decide which to stock?
Again, we look for important elements in a denim line. Consistency with fit and quality is important to us. We stand behind our product and want our customers to love their jeans. We pay close attention to our market and their demands. We take the suggestions of customers and combine them with our knowledge of the denim world.

Continued (with more photos)...