Seven for all Mankind
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7 For All Mankind (often referred to simply as Seven or Seven Jeans) is brand of a designer jeans owned since 2007 by the VF Corporation. Prior to its acquisiition by VF, Seven Jeans was a California-based designer jeans company founded by Michael Glasser, Peter Koral, and Jerome Dahan in 2000 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California.
7 for All Mankind began by designing women's jeans. It later introduced a men's jeans line in fall 2002, and its Children Denim Collection for boys and girls in fall 2005. In addition to jeans, 7 for All Mankind produces other clothing items such as skirts, shorts, and denim jackets. The brand is sold in over 80 countries including Western Europe, Canada, and Japan.[1]
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[edit] History
The two partners brought in Peter Koral of L'Koral for financial backing. Dahan and Glasser, 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.[2] A myriad of designer denim upstarts followed Seven in Los Angeles, making it the world center for casual fashion.[3]
In December 2002, Dahan and Glasser left 7 for All Mankind and filed suit against Koral for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of oral contract in the California Superior Court in Los Angeles.[4] In 2003, Glasser and Dahan launched Citizens of Humanity, another successful jeans company.[5]
In their 2002 lawsuit, Dahan and Glasser claimed that Koral shortchanged them on profits and reneged on an oral agreement to separate 7 for All Mankind from L'Koral once it reached $12 million in revenues. In 2004, the jury ruled for Dahan and Glasser and advised that they receive $5.5 million in profits from 2001 and 2002 and pay Koral $600,000 for breaking the oral partnership agreement when they left in 2002. Judge Dunn awarded $56 million to Dahan and Glasser on their breach of fiduciary duty and other equitable claims; $50 million for their 50% take in the company plus $5.5 million in profits for 2001 and 2002.[6]
In 2005, Peter Koral sold a 50% stake in the company to Bear Stearns Merchant Banking for between US$75 to $100 million.[7] That same year, he hired Andreas Kurz, former president of international licensing at Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. as CEO.[8] Kurz abruptly stepped down for unreported reasons in January 2006.[9] Mike Egeck, formerly of VF Corporation, joined 7 For All Mankind as CEO in August, 2006.
On September 1, 2007, 7 For All Mankind was acquired by VF.[10]. The CEO of 7 For All Mankind, Michael Egeck, was put in charge of the VF Contemporary Brands unit, which housed 7 For All Mankind.
[edit] Designers
7 For All Mankind jeans are often rather tight and low-rise which the company was largely responsible for popularizing the style[11] and many products feature elements of distressing. Distressed denim is intentionally manufactured with rips, holes, or stains for the purpose of making it appear worn, or vintage. 7 For All Mankind's proximity to Los Angeles makes the brand popular with celebrities and urban, fashion-conscious young adults.[12]
7 For All Mankind's design team includes Tim Kaeding and Larissa Noble, both 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. 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
The 7 For All Mankind brand has strong recognition worldwide and is particularly well known among celebrities and fashion-conscious denim consumers. The 7 For All Mankind logo consists of a large, brushstroke-style numeral 7 with the words "for all mankind" written across it in a smaller, stylized script. This logo has traditionally been found on the inside back waistband of 7 For All Mankind's denim products as well as sewn on to the back pocket. The 7 For All Mankind logo appears in various locations on other products such as footwear and handbags. In some European markets, the logo features a stylized pair of jeans as the background element rather than the numeral 7.
[edit] Apparel
7 For All Mankind has various pocket embroidery designs on their jeans. One is their signature squiggle logo which is found on bootcut jeans, low-rise jeans, straight leg, boycut, wide leg, Jagger, Colette, Roxanne and others. Their A-pocket jean consists of an "A" stitched on the pocket and sometimes incorporating Swarovski Crystals. The Dojo jean consists of a "7" on the pocket, the Kate features V-shaped embroidery, and many other designs exist on various styles. It is not always possible to determine the cut or fit of a 7 For All Mankind jean by the pocket design alone.
The women's line of jeans includes a variety of fits such as: Bootcut, low-rise, A-pocket, Kate, wide leg, flare, Dojo, Jagger, Flynt and others. The men's line includes: Bootcut, Relaxed, Flynt, A-pocket, Slimmy, Slouchy, Standard and others.
Both the men's and women's line feature a variety of "washes" which combine fabric, color, and finishing techniques in unique combinations. Washes include New York Dark, Medium Chicago, Bombay, and others.
The fits, washes and pocket designs available change with each fashion season.
In 2006 7 For All Mankind introduced a full apparel line including men's and women's outerwear, sportswear, women's dresses, and woven shirts for men. The apparel line is available on their website, select Neiman Marcus locations, and the new 7 For All Mankind standalone retail stores in downtown Los Angeles and Dallas NorthPark Center.
[edit] External links
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ 7 for All Mankind: About Us. Retrieved on 2007-01-03.
- ^ Denim has legs, The San Diego Union-Tribune, October 5, 2005
- ^ Denim has legs, The San Diego Union-Tribune, October 5, 2005
- ^ Julee Greenberg, Seven Jeans Partners File Suit, Women's Wear Daily, January 10, 2003, at 2.
- ^ Julee Greenberg, Citizens of Humanity Seeks to Claim Its Stake, Women's Wear Daily, February 27, 2003, at 8.
- ^ Nola Sarkisian-Miller, Judge Rules in Favor of Seven Founders, Women's Wear Daily, September 14, 2004, at 4.
- ^ Tracie Rozhon, Bear Stearns Buys Stake In Maker of Premium Jeans, New York Times, March 11, 2005, at C5.
- ^ Nola Sarkisian-Miller, Seven for All Mankind Taps CEO, Brief Article, Women's Wear Daily, March 16, 2006, at 3.
- ^ Rachel Brown, Kurz Disappears from Helm of Seven for All Mankind, Los Angeles Business Journal, January 30, 2006.
- ^ VF Completes Acquisition of Seven For All Mankind Denim-Lifestyle Brand, "Businesswire", August 31, 2007
- ^ Jeans' genes part of price tag formula, Contra Costa Times, November 8, 2006, Business and Financial section.
- ^ Haute List, The New York Post, April 26, 2007
