While dozens of Los Angeles denim designers were making money selling skinny jeans to women sized eight and under, Lisa Rudes Sandel quietly devised a way to dress the rest of the country.
Rudes Sandel and her sister Leslie started making Not Your Daughter’s Jeans, or NYDJ, in 2003. They even drafted their father out of retirement in Boca Raton. George Rudes was behind St. Germain jeans, a popular brand in the 1970s and 1980s.
Denim is a family affair for the Rudes family. Rudes Sandel’s cousin, Jeff, is president of J Brand jeans, a high-end company that pioneered the skinny-leg look.
NYDJ’s selling point is a cross-stitched inner panel on the front of the jeans that has a tummy-tucking effect. The company claims that the cut, also designed to lift the gluteus, allows customers to wear one size smaller.
In 2005, SLL Inc., the parent of NYDJ, shipped 100,000 jeans and grossed $5 million. The jeans were a big hit at Nordstrom Inc. stores, and became the bestseller on the company Web site. But things really took off in 2006, when SLL shipped 920,000 jeans and grossed $40 million. George Rudes expects the company to grow another 50 percent in 2007.
The jeans are now sold in all Nordstrom stores, Dillard’s, Lord & Taylor, Macy’s and over 1,200 specialty stores.
“There’s no one else doing this tummy tuck,” said Kellie Kefalas, denim market analyst at Directives West, a retail consulting group. “It does what it says it does, flattens the stomach and lifts the butt a bit.”
Kefalas said the jeans are ideal for “hip moms” that can’t quite fit into a size 6 anymore, but added that her mother is also a “No. 1 fan.”
“I feel this line has grown as fast as it has because we are providing a product that has something that a woman wants and needs,” said Rudes Sandel. “We are targeting a category of women that have been neglected by fashion designers.”
The company, which started in a 10,000-square-foot office and warehouse with six employees, has moved into a 38,000-square-foot location to accommodate growth. The company now has 65 employees, but outside factories and laundries employ an additional 200 people.
Supercenter Arrival
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. last week reopened its Baldwin Hills and Pico Rivera locations as super-centers and the silence was nearly deafening.
Compare that with the hue and cry surrounding last summer’s opening of a super-center location in Rosemead.
Last summer’s experience may have motivated the company to be a little more attuned to local sensitivities.
The company’s Baldwin Park and Pico Rivera locations will now feature bilingual signage, Hispanic and organic food, and products from more California-based companies. The remodels also feature energy-efficient skylights and LED lighting in their grocery freezer units.
“Customers will be able to find locally-produced products like taquitos, burritos and tacos from El Monterrey Foods and Marquez Brothers in the deli and frozen foods section, Romeros Fish in the seafood department and Alta Dena in the dairy section,” said Pico Rivera Store Manager Alfred Galvan.
Wal-Mart also donated $35,000 to local charities as part of each reopening celebration. Each store has hired 200 more employees for each store, chosen from 3,400 applicants.
Jumpin’ Jakks
Malibu-based Jakks Pacific Inc. capped five months of stock-price growth last Thursday, hitting a 52-week high of $25.56.
The company’s stock has been trading between $22 and $25 since March. Last Thursday’s 4 percent stock price jump followed the announcement of first-quarter earnings, which showed net income up 39 percent, to $3.2 million, from $2.3 million. The earnings, at 12 cents per share, far exceeded analysts’ estimates of 8 cents per share.
“We are pleased with our first quarter performance and believe we are well positioned to achieve our record sales and earnings expectations for 2007,” said Jack Friedman, Jakks’ chief executive.
Friedman, who also founded video game publisher THQ Inc., added that demand for role-play sets relating to popular characters such as Barbie or Ariel from “The Little Mermaid,” wrestling action figures and plug-n-play games provided a boost for Jakks.
While Jakks is known for its kid-friendly video games, the company also makes activity sets for properties owned by other companies, such as Mattel Inc.’s Barbie, the World Wrestling Federation’s action figures and an array of drawing and coloring sets, toy cars, dog toys, and seasonal games.
Staff reporter Emily Bryson York can be reached at (323) 549-5225, ext. 235, or at
[email protected]
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