Order Update Thread

No one wants to wait eight months for a pair of jeans, nor should anyone have to pay up towards $200 for a pair of workwear.

From the start, Lawless Denim’s founding objective was to create jobs for the working class in Arizona. President and Founder, Roman Acevedo personally spent countless hours sharing his vision and passion for job creation with every congressman, woman and any city official who would listen. Each were invited into the manufacturing warehouse on several occasions to see the operation first hand and discuss options for the future...

We never asked anyone to fund our company, we simply wanted their help in creating a job training program where individuals could come and learn the skills necessary to manufacture clothing. After completing their training, the intent was to hire the student at LD with a minimum starting wage of $10/hr. With a job training program in place, LD was on track to exceed hiring 100 new employees within the first year. It was intended to be a good starting point for someone who was currently unemployed or on state assisted programs or for a student who had just graduated high school and didn't see college as a option. We wanted to teach a dying trade that has since gone overseas. Something they could be proud to be a part of for years to come and that would provide a steady source of income and benefits.

Roman created Lawless Denim as a platform to make this happen back in November 2013. After just eight short months he closed the doors finding that the brick and mortar location was a bad investment and was not the profitable shopping destination the landlord’s had initially painted it out to be.

Once Lawless Denim had closed it’s doors Roman launched LD&Co., a web-based, customizable clothing label in early November 2014, and within 24 hours had over 2000+ custom orders. Ever since the days of having a Lawless Denim storefront, our customer had always been allowed to pick their denim, fit, thread color, pocket liner, denim tag style, and hardware finishing—once we launched LD&Co., we allowed our online customer to choose between similar customizable options. To say we were excited but feeling a bit overwhelmed is an understatement. Our unique business model, American made clothing and untouchable price point had gone viral literally overnight and we were slammed. The race was on to find a viable solution for our manufacturing crisis.

During that time we where working daily to find skilled sewers to care for our increasing demand. We were headstrong that creation of a job training program was the answer, so we pressed onward. We talked to everyone from the Arizona Sewing Alliance based in Tucson, AZ to the city of Phoenix to ASU. To everyone, our idea was great from a political platform but once the politicians (many of whom had campaigned for job creation in the past) left our warehouse it was the last we would hear from them… but we pressed onward.

Finally, Arizona Congresswomen Senima’s office told us we would be better off going to L.A. and that no one in Arizona was interested in this program. After three years of going around in circles we had finally gotten a straight answer. NO. By this point we are 3500+ deep in customizable clothing orders and our team was exhausted. Working 7 days a week, 12-14 hours a day had taken its toll. Shortly after the city of Phoenix gave us the big N-O, we decide we need to make our move. We halted production in Phoenix and set out to get things going in Los Angeles. To products in LA is no easy matter. It requires multiple permits and completion of a licensing test that takes approximately eight months for approval. The endless red tape and fees just added the struggle to get out as quickly as possible.

To put it gently, our customer service sucked. Our team was up to our ears in orders and we could not realistically give every single person the quality service they so rightly deserved. We didn't have customers, we had clients. Our clients required the need to be educated on fits, proper measuring techniques, in addition to general inquiries about fabrics, styles, wait times and status updates. Our team was small and ill-prepared for the volume of customized orders we received overnight and we take full responsibility for that.

The road our brand has traveled has been littered with speed bumps but we’re not finished yet. We have been called every name in the book, received countless threats towards our staff through personal and private social media accounts. Brands have attacked us for our price point and have gone out of their way to try to take us down. When you remove the vail and share what a great pair of jeans should cost and not some ridiculous 400-600% markup you don't make many friends in the denim industry. Our vehicles have been vandalized and we’ve learned that Hell hath no fury like a bitter ex employee. We have had incomplete garments stolen and pushed into forums to try to sabotage our credibility as a manufacture and brand and have even had a well known blog post an article with a falsified claim that we are closed—without contacting a credible brand representative to confirm.

WE are the sole authority on what challenges we have had in the past and the plans we have for the future. Our brand has refused to take any shortcuts in the production process. Staying true to the quality of the garments was what we quickly have become know for and will continue to be. Our design team still maintains focus and we refuse to be bullied into throwing in the towel. Our consumer’s best interest always has been and always WILL be our main focus. We have strive to always maintain a price point and superior quality that you can be proud to wear for years to come.