ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, May 26, 1996 TAG: 9605240010
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: JESSICA RONKY RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH
Jason Solomon, Chris Bossola and Marnie Kayer are treasure hunters of sorts.
But it's not gold, riches or jewels the twenty-something entrepreneurs are seeking. What they're after might be in the bottom of your dresser drawer.
They want old Levi's. Preferably 501s that have faded to a soft patina - even those with the knees worn through.
The owners of Blues Recycled Clothing want to hook Richmonders on the used-Levi's craze.
The trend began on the West Coast and has spread across the world. In Italy, people will pay $70 for a pair of previously worn Levi's. In Japan, even more.
``In the past few years, the Japanese have created a huge international market,'' said Mike Crittenden, manager of Fan Tastic Thrift, 1914 W. Main St. ``They sell them for hundreds of dollars.''
At Blues, the going price is $24 for a pair of button-fly 501s. Levi's with zippers cost $18, regardless of quality.
``Quality is so subjective,'' Bossola said. ``Some people want a big hole in the knee; some want them in perfect condition. Who are we to judge?''
Some might say any amount is too much to pay for a pair of used Levi's. Solomon would say those people just don't get it.
``The premise is so basic,'' he said. ``Your favorite pair of jeans is always the worst pair you own. When those go to pot, you have to buy a new pair. But you don't want a new pair - you want a pair just like the old ones.''
Recycled Levi's provide instant gratification without the years of wear necessary to fade the jeans.
Bossola, Solomon and Kayer, classmates at the University of Alabama, moved to Richmond upon graduation and decided to venture into the recycled denim business.
Bossola, a finance major, had spent the summer in San Diego and saw used Levi's in stores everywhere. ``In California you see semi trucks on the side of the road with signs that say, `We pay cash for Levi's,''' he said.
Solomon and Kayer were familiar with used Levi's from college days. ``When I was in college, I had always bought my jeans used from a shack out in the boondocks,'' Solomon said. ``They came from the Alabama prison system.''
The three thought the idea might work in Richmond.
``I wanted used Levi's, but I was sick of going to the thrift stores,'' Kayer said. ``You could spend the whole weekend looking for your size.''
In February, they opened Blues, which stocks about 500 pairs of recycled Levi's. Students from the University of Richmond, Randolph-Macon College and Mary Washington College make regular pilgrimages to the store.
``We had no idea there was such a big market for recycled denim,'' Bossola said. ``The trick, though, is getting the jeans. Once you get the jeans, you just put them on the shelves and people come.''
Because of the lucrative market for recycled Levi's overseas, Blues will not divulge the source of its jeans.
``It's kind of a guarded secret in the jeans business,'' Bossola said. He did offer that most of their jeans come from dealers who specialize in used Levi's. Some also come from Richmonders who bring their old Levi's to Blues for store credit or $2 to $5 cash a pair.
``We buy men's blue Levi's,'' Bossola said. Designer jeans, colored jeans and women's jeans need not apply.
Levi's made before 1970 are considered ``vintage denim'' and are sought by dealers well-educated in the arcane art of Levi's identification.
``Everyone wears Levi's,'' Bossola said. ``It's very American. They're understated and comfortable. They're like Coca-Cola or something.''
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"Everyone wears Levi's. It's very American. They're understated and comfortable. They're like Coca-Cola or something."
Chris Bossola, one of the owners of Blues Recycled Clothing
AP-DS-05-17-96 1345E
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP Chris Bossola (left), Marnie Kayer and Jasonby CNBSolomon, owners of Blues Recycled Clothing, hope to hook Richmonders
on the used-Levi's craze that began on the West Coast and has spread
across the world.