Brandon Svarc’s been Naked & Famous for five years

Brandon Svarc created Naked & Famous out of his frustration with the celebrity-endorsed premium denim market. As he explains on the website: “We aim to poke fun at ‘Hollywood’ and ‘Glamour’ brands that sell jeans for $300 and up solely because they are celebrity endorsed, and not because they are higher quality.” Svarc built his business on a few simple rules: “Always raw, always Japanese fabric, always made in Canada…and no bullshit (no celebrity giveaways, no advertising, no sales reps, no PR agencies, just jeans).” Consumers are apparently following his rules, because this month marks the fifth anniversary of Naked & Famous. The brand is currently sold in over 200 stores, and in 36 countries. Denim retails from $135 to $215.

New for fall 2013 are (even) heavier-weight 20 oz.-denim styles, lyocell blends “for the wussies who like soft denim,” earth tones like petrol and rust (“We usually do one or two colors a season but those have been killing it, so we’re offering six or seven colors.”), more selvedge chinos ($150 retail), and even skinnier styles, like the Super Skinny Guy, which has a 13-inch leg opening compared to the Skinny Guy’s 14-inch opening. Outside of denim, Svarc is excited about the new linen and wool blended hoodies for fall.

This story appeared in the Notebook section of the February 2013 issue.