Seven for all Mankind
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
7 For All Mankind (often referred to simply as Seven or Seven Jeans) is a designer jeans company that was launched by Michael Glasser, Peter Koral, and Jerome Dahan in the fall of 2000. The company is headquartered in Vernon, California.
Originally, 7 for All Mankind exclusively designed women's jeans, but began producing men's jeans in October 2002, and now produces other clothing items such as skirts, shorts, and denim jackets. Seven is sold in over 35 countries including Western Europe, Canada, and Japan.
The success of 7 For All Mankind hasn't escaped Wall Street's attention, with Bear Stearns Merchant Banking buying a stake in the company in 2005.
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[edit] Designers
Seven's founders, denim designers who had worked in the apparel industry for years, created the company in response to what they saw as a void in the contemporary denim market. Fashion denim had not been seen in the United States for over 20 years and the most popular style for apparel was baggy, street-inspired jeans. Focusing on women's denim bottoms, the company enjoyed near-overnight success because of the fit, fabrics, washes, attention to detail, and the iconic swooping logo that adorned the product's back pockets. Seven jeans are often rather tight and low-rise--the company was largely responsible for popularizing the style--and many products feature elements of distressing. Distressed (or destroyed) denim is intentionally manufactured with rips, holes, or stains for the purpose of making it appear worn, or vintage. Seven's proximity to Los Angeles made the brand popular with celebrities and urban, fashion-conscious young adults. A myriad of designer denim upstarts followed Seven in Los Angeles, making it the world center for casual fashion.
7 For All Mankind's design team includes Tim Kaeding, Rebecca Danemberg, and Larissa Noble, all of whom have worked extensively in denim design. During his four-year career with The Gap, Kaeding designed the women's denim line and the 1969 premium label. He successfully contemporized the basic image using some of the best denims and laundries in the world. Prior to that, he designed exclusively for his private label, Timothy Kaeding, a high-end sportswear line based out of New York. Danemberg joined Seven For All Mankind in September 2001, after heading design of Tahari's denim line. Prior to that, Danemberg designed and manufactured her private line in New York, selling out of her downtown store. Her designs were carried at Barneys New York, Linda Dresner, Saks Fifth Avenue and Fred Segal, among others. Larissa Noble graduated from Parsons School of Design and worked as a costume designer in Los Angeles as well as on the design team for Ellen Tracy before joining 7 for All Mankind.
[edit] Brand
7 for all Mankind is often misassociated with the denim brand Seven 7, a separate company that has been established in Europe since the 1960s. "Seven7" Brand immigrated to L.A. and continues to manufacture a slightly lower-priced denim with a similar fit in both the US and Europe. Seven 7 was reintroduced in the United States around the same time as 7 for all Mankind, who filed a lawsuit against the company for stealing their name. The court war continued, in the European field this time. The registration of the word 'Seven' as a jeans maker belonged to the 'Seven7' brand from the 60s. The court decided in Belgium that "7 For All Mankind” ceases to use the sign 7 or “Seven” even in combination with " For All Mankind”. "Seven7" licensee in Europe drove the Brand in big success the past few years, lifting the quality standards to extra premium denim, introducing the embellished category in denim, decorated with Swarovski crystal. Other denim brands, including "7 For All Mankind” followed this trend. Price points where also driven to extra premium denim standards, establishing the "Seven7" jeans among the most desirable fashion items. The European Licensee regenerated the “Seven7” essence of the 60s, combining the original “Seven” design values with L.A. style. "7 For All Mankind" and "Seven7" represent style and status.
The name "7 For All Mankind" is inspired by the statistic that most Americans own an average of seven pairs of jeans at a time.
[edit] Apparel
7 for All Mankind jeans and related apparel are found primarily in women's and men's specialty stores, but are also available in upscale national retailers such as: Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Nordstrom.
The women's line of jeans includes a variety of fits and washes such as: Bootcut, Low Rise Bootcut, A-Pocket, Straight, Dojo, Jagger, Colette, Boycut, Wide Leg, Flare, and Flynt.
The men's line includes: Bootcut, Relaxed, Flynt, A-Pocket Bootcut, A-Pocket Relaxed, Slimmy, and Standard.
