I wear jeans everyday...except for today

I got new boots on my most recent NY trip, and I love them. The only problem is the only jeans they look good with are skinny jeans, and guess what? We sold out of the Jennifer Skinny in my size. So long, but important story, short I decided I'd sacrifice not wearing Beija-Flors today and wear a skirt so I could wear my new boots. And I've realized that was really a pointless move. I had forgotten how truly uncomfortable tights are. Maybe we should come up with Beija-Flor "comfort tights" for next season. Or maybe I should just stick to wearing the most comfortable thing in my wardobe - my jeans. Running and dieting wouldn't hurt either, I guess.

Lipstick, Chocolate, Jeans...And Independent Boutiques!

According to many economic forecasters, cosmetics and confectionery products are considered to be recession-proof. And according to a recent Chicago Tribune story, it seems that women also see the benefit of investing in a great pair of jeans. And this has definitely been the case at Beija-Flor!! Thank goodness.

Here's what we've found. Even in an economic downturn, customers are still concerned with finding a jean that fits. And if you explain how often they will wear a good fitting jean, and do the math to figure the “cost per wear” an investment in a good fitting designer jean makes sense.

Beija-Flor Jeans has taken these economic times as an opportunity to reach out to our customers and offer support, ideas, and assistance on how to get through these difficult times. As an independent designer label we have always focused on independent retailers, but now more than ever we're seeing that it’s the small independent stores who can find a unique place in the current marketplace by focusing on offering unique products to their loyal and local customer base.

So shop local. Shop independent designers. Shop socially conscious brands. And do the math - your jeans are a staple and its worth it to find a great fitting pair!

Denim Everyday of the Week

A few months ago, Kathy, my mother and business partner, had a denim epiphany - All of our jeans fit 80% of women who try them on. So essentially it is not a matter of which Beija-Flor style you should be wearing, but when you can wear it. We realized that since the fit of the Beija-Flor jeans is so great that our customers will want a Beija-Flor jean for every day of the week, or every occasion on their life. Hence we came up with a new way of presenting our collection: Denim 24/7: Essential jeans every woman should have in her closet.

Spreading the Word

Thanks to some great PR work by TK PR, we've gotten some great press coverage lately, especially in newspapers. Lillia Callum-Penso of the Greenville (S.C.) News wrote a great article entitled The perfect pair of jeans: Deconstructing the elements for a just-right fit. The article continues to be picked up all over the country. Here's the most recent version of it.

How's Business?

"How's business?" is a question that I've been getting for over 2 and half years now, and I wish that I had an electronic journal of my responses to that question over the past 2 and half years.

Over the weekend someone asked me the same question, and I am excited to say that my response was "Business is great!" My mom and I have been very fortunate to be where we are today. So I thought maybe I'd use my first blog entry on our new site to tell you some of the reasons "Business is great!"

1. In October we hit the 100 mark and are proud to say that Beija-Flor jeans are now sold in over 130 different stores in 42 states around the U.S.
   
2. We now have sales representation in Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
   
3. Our list of beija-believers is growing everyday, including celebrities such as Rachael Ray and Lisa Rinna!
4. Beija-Flor has been highlighted in W Magazine, Charlotte Magazine, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, CNN Espanol, and tons more of great publications and networks.
5. Thousands of women have attended Beija-Flor trunkshows, Denim 101 events, and jeans parties around the country.
6. We've introduced some amazing and innovative new styles such as our Taryn Pink jean which helps raises money for our "After the Cure" scholarship program that sends breast cancer survivors on Outward Bound excursions.
7. Mom (Kathy) and I have been to Brazil multiple times this year and every time we discover more interesting fabrics, designs, and processes which continues to help us create a truly unique product!
8. We've added two Beija-Flor team members - Megan and Kate - who are both amazing at what they do!
   
9. We've continued to meet other great female entrepreneurs all over the country with whom we collaborate with and share great ideas.
   
10. Most of all we're proving that women all over the world not only want to feel great and look great in their jeans, but appreciate a unique, non-mass produced, socially, and environmentally conscious product.
    

So I'm really going to try to keep up with our new Beija-Blog. Thanks to all of the beija-believers who have supported us in our mission to bring something unique to the world of fashion!

Thanks to our Beija-Believers

After many attempts at blogs, I think I've got one that will stick, and I've titled it Beija-Believers in honor of all the many people who have helped us get Beija-Flor Jeans where we are today. Beija-Believers is a term we created to describe women who wear and love our jeans, but it has really evolved into the many people who have supported us in our entrepreneurial quest - our family, our friends, our stores, our sales reps, our publicist, and the countless people who have offered their time, advice, and expertise along the way.

I hope to use this blog to update all of the new, old, and future Beija-Believers of what our start-up jeans business is up to. So thanks for reading!