Industry Standard denim to offer ‘transparency tours’ of Vernon factory on Nov. 16

New York City-based Industry Standard, a year-old women’s denim label that manufactures its jeans in Vernon, is offering to take customers on a “transparency tour” of the Vernon factory where its pants are produced.

Industry Standard founder Nicole Najafi sent us an e-mail explaining why she wants people to see the manufacturing process: “Jeans are viewed as such a wardrobe staple, but the process of making jeans is actually incredibly intricate and complex,” she said. “The process of making denim is fascinating, and such an integral part of the heritage of American manufacturing. We pride ourselves on our honest, American-made manufacturing and thought it would be interesting to open the doors to the factory and share the process with our customers.”

Najafi says that the tours will be led by Industry Standard’s manufacturing partner and minority stakeholder Matt Berkson, who will walk customers through the production process -- from the arrival of the raw rolls of untreated denim to the marking and cutting of the pieces to the sewing and finishing.

According to Najafi, two tours are currently scheduled for Nov. 16, one at 3 p.m. and another at 4 p.m., with each lasting between 30 and 40 minutes. There’s a 20-person limit, Najafi says, but notes that if more than 40 people sign up, they’ll add more time slots.

If you’re interested in taking the tour, simply send an e-mail to [email protected] with your name and preferred time slot and the Industry Standard folks will ping you back to confirm and provide the specific address of the Vernon factory (if you’re not familiar with the city of Vernon, it’s just about five miles south of downtown Los Angeles) and parking instructions.

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