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Vital Stats: Jeffrey Lubell, 50, of TrueReligion Brand Jeans in Los Angeles
Company: Designer and manufacturer of pre-mium jeans andrelated sportswear
2006 projected sales: $148 million to $150 million
Trendsetters: "Everyone wears jeans," saysLubell. "It's the one true religion." From the start,Lubell and his wife, Kymberly Gold-Lubell, 40, envisioned a companythat made superior jeans with the kind of fit and details usuallyfound in couture fashion. "We wanted to create a luxuryapparel brand in denim," says Lubell. "We saw it as thenext evolution of jeans."
Cutting-Edge Couture: True Religion had a slow start in2002, prompting Lubell to take a marketing risk and give away hisproduct. He first offered the jeans to sales associates at a trendyboutique. The boutique owner reluctantly bought 24 pairs, but theydidn't start selling until the staff started wearing their freepairs-the jeans sold out in three days. That's when Lubell tookto the streets.
Fashion Forward: Lubell would hand his business card tounsuspecting people on the streets of Los Angeles and ask them toe-mail their pant size for a free pair of jeans. The responsesweren't always gracious, but no one refused Lubell's offer.Today, his products are available online and at boutiques anddepartment stores worldwide. Countless celebs scoop them up for asmuch as $460 a pair.
Perfect Fit: "The best ad we have is for people tosee how the jeans actually look on the body," says Lubell. Andthe word-of-mouth advertising is still going strong. "An ad ina magazine gets thrown away after a while, but you wear a greatpair of jeans forever."
