EB Denim, Up-Cycled Jeans taking on Sustainability
What started out as just thrifting with her grandmother and selling vintage jeans in high school, Elena, Founder of EB Denim, has taken on the mission to become one of the leading denim brands taking on sustainability.
So She Slays had an amazing opportunity to go visit EB Denim’s warehouse to get a glimpse of how her jeans are made. We were first met with a beautiful showroom of all the jeans found in the EB Denim line. It was explained to us how these jeans were made and the process they went through to be upcycled and resold. We were taken on a tour of her warehouse where we got to meet her team, see the jeans being dyed, frayed, and even lasered with designs.
Elena also shared with us that she will launch original jeans that are considered to be the 2.0 version of their popular jeans, the Unraveled Jean as of September 1st. With the same wash, same back pocket, and design, they are just a “new and sustainable version.”
So yes they are on sale now so go grab a pair!
After visiting the warehouse we were able to sit down with Elena for a little chat to get more information on EB Denim came to be.
What makes EB Denim unique from all the rest?
So we do everything in Los Angeles, and we source the best Levi's 501s primarily the USA, meaning that they were produced in the United States before 2002. So they're premium vintage. And we kind of sort through all the best whiskering and the best washes, and then we reconstruct them in a really elevated way that's super flattering.
Where were you able to find that many pairs of the same jeans?
So definitely started at the thrift stores and realized I'm not going to be able to create a replicable product, that I needed to find the same exact pair of jeans that I would reconstruct. So they had to have the same pattern. I decided to go with the 501s and I wanted to go with the best quality. So I looked for years to be able to find a supplier, I would go to the Melrose trading, trading post, and then I would go to the Pasadena Rose Bowl, and Long Beach, I'd go everywhere until I finally found a supplier where I was doing a pop up at the time and their wife actually walked into the store and was like, hey, you know, my husband is a vintage supplier, here's his card. After I was like, let's just see, we're really low on vintage and so I went and now he's our main supplier.
This is leaning towards sustainable fashion, has that always been something you were passionate about?
When I started, it wasn't something that I was like, Oh, I need to be sustainable, like sustainability is everything. It's something that really happened naturally. And as I learned more about the fashion industry and working, it's kind of a no-brainer for me. We're not always going to be just a vintage upcycling brand. My mission, as far-fetched as this is, is to set the standard for sustainability in the denim industry. And in that, I've learned so much about just the washing and the dyeing and the techniques about sustainability that have been developing, and I really just want to be at the forefront of that.
What are some things you’ve learned along this journey?
There are so many things just from the different ways to be sustainable like, what am I using to make this product, how much energy is being used to make this product in particular, and can you cut out all of the carbon emissions from that. And like the kind of Cotton's that we use recycled cotton and the finishes on the trims are eco finished and the leather patches are recycled leather. And then you can think about the water usage in the process of creating the jeans and we've done it in a way where it's cutting. I don't want to misspeak but they've used as little water as possible. And also just with the finishing techniques, we're using laser technology, it's super cool to see they take a laser and just laser on the whispering design onto the jeans so that they're not using any water or any energy to do that. I've learned so much and I can't wait to learn more and really be an expert.
Was there anything you wish you knew prior to starting your business?
Honestly, no, because ignorance was the best thing because I really just took my own approach to everything. I'm really lucky in the fact that my mom is in fashion. And so she kind of was trying to give me advice. But she was at the business angle of it and I was at the creative end of it. And I just did what my gut was telling me and I took turns that I don't think most people in the industry would have taken and it's brought me here. I've made so many mistakes along the way but I've learned from them. That's just a part of the process. But I guess what I would tell my old self is to just be more confident in yourself and just trust your gut. In high school like, I was selling jeans, I made an Instagram page for it and a lot of people thought that that was really weird. A lot of people like took that to Twitter, and just kind of just made a mockery of me. And if I could tell my old self anything it would be like, “Hey, this is where you're going to be.” I think that I would have let that kind of stuff get to my heart.
Describe your slay.
My team definitely motivates me every single day. I love working with them and coming into the office every single day to see them. Seeing girls wearing the denim, the celebs wearing the jeans is always a huge reward and really motivates me to continue being creative, to push out new designs, and the incredible customers and retailers really, really motivate me and give me validation.
Follow EB Denim on Instagram and check out all of their clothes on their website.