For the last year-and-a-half, Stan and Robin Fraser have been cranking out custom denim apparel from their small family-run sewing shop in Third Ward, but odds are you didn’t even know it was there.
This month they’re expanding their operation and defining the Straight Stitch & Co brand, assuming a prominent storefront location next to Draught on Cedar Street with a tricked out all-American retail showroom.
Aside from importing arguably the world’s best Japanese demin, Straight Stitch’s operation (especially the expansion project) was born and bred right here in Charlotte. All signage and interior detailing was painted by local artist Matt Hooker, and even the legs of the tables were welded by custom bike shop Prism Motorcycles.
The showroom will be a huge advantage for Straight Stitch, which up until now seems to run solely on word of mouth and social media. There’s no phone number and no online ordering. But with a retail storefront clients can walk in, see, touch and select their color, thread, buttons and pocket style. It’s a truly custom experience, and Stan and Robin have their hands on every single product produced in the shop. Nothing is outsourced and there are no other employees.
Stan grew up in New York and comes from a fashion family (his mom currently works for Anna Sui) but he decided to get into the denim business more out of necessity than anything else. “I couldn’t find a pair of jeans I wanted to buy so I made it instead,” he said.
Straight Stitch works exclusively with raw and selvedge denim, creating a crisp, clean finished product that stands in stark contrast to popular washed and distressed styles seen in most stores right now. They’ll run you $300-$600 a pair, and with clients starting to pop up across the country as far as California, they must be worth it.
Jeans won’t be the only product in the shop. They’ll also be bags, skirts, Robin’s handmade jewelry and their daughter Kaniyah’s t-shirt line. Talk about creativity running in your blood. What a cool family.
Stay tuned as they gear up to open the doors to the new showroom. They’re currently targeting an August 15 grand opening.
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