If The Jean Fits…

I met Charlie’s Jeans’ owner, Sebastian McCall while trying on a pair of Seven Jeans at his boutique, located at 233 Market Street in Philadelphia. A casual conversation about lifestyle, jeans and the media uncovered the fact that Charlie’s Jeans needed Peter Breslow. McCall confessed that a recent Philadelphia Inquirer story about jean fitting, which lead me into the store, created “the best consumer response he ever experienced in his 10 years in business”. My reaction was simply, “would you like more stories in the press that evoke the same reaction?” McCall’s answer: “of course I would,” and thus began a relationship that has been both fun and fruitful.

The first step in our journey was determining our first story pitch. In order to do that I had to learn what sets Sebastian and his brand apart from every other jean retailer. That was easy. Charlie’s Jeans is all about jean fitting. Consumers don’t shop unattended. The store isn’t set up for self-service. Sebastian and his team visually size-up every customer that comes in the store, and present each with a selection of merchandise that fits. Pitching that story to a community of reporters who knew the value of comfortable, well-fitting jeans was a snap. The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philly Style and Philadelphia magazine all picked up the pitch. And McCall became a regular source for the Inquirer’s fashion reporter Elizabeth Wellington’s column.

Sebastian was mentioned or featured in over a dozen stories in the Philadelphia media in our first year together. And his sales are up in a sluggish economy!

In late 2010, McCall opened his second store, located at 1735 Chestnut Street in the tony Rittenhouse Square section of Philadelphia, and launched his own private jean label, appropriately named Sebastian McCall.

Watch for national stories about Sebastian McCall and his brands in the near future. I have a good feeling this jean maven from Philadelphia is going to be a household name everywhere in no time.