Jeans are notoriously the most difficult article of clothing to shop for.     

They can be too tight or too long, too high-waisted or too low-waisted, too light or too dark, too flared or too skinny — the list is long. Many women will agree that an entire afternoon must be devoted to finding the perfect pair of jeans. If only there was a better way.

Look no further: Raleigh Denim is your new best friend.

The Company

Raleigh Denim is a small company — it only has a team of five — that creates custom-designed jeans for their clients. Victor Lytvinenko, who co-owns Raleigh Denim with his wife, Sarah Lytvinenko, said all of the materials the company uses are manufactured locally — everything from the denim to the zippers.

“Everything is done here in Raleigh so our carbon footprint is virtually nothing,” Lytvinenko said.  

The two operate out of a shop in Downtown Raleigh and use just sixteen old-fashioned American shuttle looms to make their jeans. Their ultimate goal is “true American vintage.”

Victor said there is a strong heritage in North Carolina for denim production, and he and Sarah try to model their denim company after those ideals.

The People

The husband and wife team started making jeans several years ago as students.

Victor graduated with a business degree in 2004, and Sarah was a student in the College of Design. Now she is taking some time off from school to focus on the business.

The two work in tandem to make their business a success. Victor handles most of the financial issues and Sarah is responsible for most of the design and pattern-making.

But they are both, above all else, designers. According to Sarah, the idea to make custom jeans came about as Victor experimented with making different kinds of pants. His work with different materials eventually lead him to denim.

Custom Made

When customers come in desiring a pair of custom jeans, the first thing that the designers do is create a mock-up pair. From that pair, the designers make adjustments based on the client’s measurements and specifications.

In a time where designer jeans often have hefty price tags, it comes as no surprise that Raleigh Denim’s prices run a little more than a pair of Wranglers. The designers charge a pattern-making fee of about $100 for custom orders, and an additional $250 for each pair of jeans. However, they do keep patterns on file, so any time a customer wants a new pair, he or she doesn’t need to be re-fitted.

Raleigh Denim does more than just custom orders, though.

Their line has recently been picked up by Barney’s department store and will be available in select stores and online and will be available early this year. So far, Barney’s has picked up three styles of men’s jeans.

Victor and Sarah have also recently been experimenting with other pieces, trying their hand at men’s dress shirts, suit vests, women’s wool skirts, and blouses.

Raleigh Denim also sells jeans straight from their shop, located at 1407 Bloodworth St.