Ten years ago, Sarah Yarborough and Victor Lytvinenko set out to create a denim company that makes the ideal pair of jeans and with a mantra in mind: “To be rather than to seem.”  The result: Raleigh Denim, designed and made in North Carolina’s capital city and realizing the duo’s dream of “making the ideal pair of jeans.” We caught up with the two to talk about their beginnings, the path to date, and how they plan to celebrate this important milestone.

Let’s start from the beginning. Do you remember when you first became interested in fashion?

Lytvinenko: When I was eight, my mom would make me “jams,” these amazing brightly-printed shorts. It was my first acknowledgement of a fashion item that I was into and then it snowballed from there.

Yarborough: I’ve always been interested in clothing and liked to dress up and figure out how to make things. I wasn’t really aware of fashion until I was in college studying graphic design. I went to Penland School of Crafts for a spring concentration in fibers, and that was the turning point. I changed my major to fashion design.

How has your brand evolved?

Yarborough: Style-wise, we refined some of the details of our core product. We tried not to change too much over the years as we want to keep the core values of the brand. Building from our selvage denim base, we expanded into washes, new fits, and full collections – all denim complimentary.

Where did you imagine the brand would be 10 years ago?

Yarborough: I didn’t imagine it would be anywhere. I wasn’t sure if we would be able to do it and to be totally honest, I wasn’t exactly sure what we were doing. I was really passionate but we didn’t have a long-term vision. I looked down the line in a pipedream kind of way, not in a realistic goal-setting one.

Lytvinenko: It was about having an impact and making really beautiful product and staying true to our ideals. We’ve been pretty steadfast in that. We gave up some huge potential opportunities. We didn’t want to budge on the quality of our product or vision. I think we are where we wanted to be.

How have the transitions the fashion industry has been going through impacted your business?

Yarborough: Trends don’t really impact our business, but I think the fashion industry being more interested in how and where things come from has had a huge impact on our company. It has been integral to the success. It’s made customers a lot more interested in what we’re doing.

Lytvinenko: Customers are much more open to learning about how things are made.

What is the one thing every entrepreneur should know before starting a business?

Yarborough: You’re only as good as your team. Building a team that is smart and caring and dedicated and in it to win it, is IT. We would be screwed without our team.

Have you ever experienced a hurdle that you didn’t think was possible to jump over? How did you overcome it?

Yarborough: We’ve had all sorts of things happen. With fashion being seasonal, there are lean and there are good times in the year. We’ve had lean times in the year when we wondered how we’re going to make it through the next couple of months, but you get creative and do what you have to do. We’ve had denim shipments show up so late that we had to cancel orders and thought it would hurt the bottom line so badly that we’d have to close the business. Funny thing about those lean times is that they allow for some of the biggest breakthroughs.

What helps you get in the zone when you’re designing? How has living in Raleigh influenced your designs?

Yarborough: In Raleigh, we have much more space.  All of our resources are compact and there’s room for play and room for quiet. We didn’t have that in New York. It is casual and simple, which lends itself to our design direction. We wear everything we make and that feedback is clutch.

Lytvinenko: We’re designing all the time. There’s so much inspiration everywhere that we try to capture. The time and space in the studio is important to figure out which ideas are right or wrong. Most of our designs are everyday items that people are wearing all the time.

Tell me about a project that has been your greatest achievement?

Lytvinenko: Years ago, we dreamed about what the ideal pair of jeans would be. In the very beginning, we were thinking about how and where things are made, and the design process, which is as important as the design of the garment.  That’s why we manufacture in our factory in Raleigh. We wanted to use organic cotton grown in North Carolina, and at that point, there had never been certified organic cotton grown in North Carolina—a lot of people said it wasn’t possible. We found two farmers in North Carolina who were in their 70s, and they showed us how to grow organic cotton and grew it for us. We made a jean 100 percent within North Carolina with the first certified 100 percent organic cotton grown here. As far as we know, it’s the jean with the smallest carbon footprint ever made.  We made about 1,000 pairs over six or eight years and we still have some of the denim. We are thinking about doing something special with it for our 10-year anniversary.

How do you keep a healthy work/life balance? What do you do to take your mind off of the stresses of owning a business?

Yarborough: I rock climb—it’s my favorite thing. It requires all of my focus so it helps me completely take my mind off the stresses of work and life and allows me to relax.

Lytvinenko: I play basketball and soccer. We also garden, although we’re not very good at it. We’re discovering it and learning to get better. I also really like to cook in my free time.

What are three pieces everyone should have in their wardrobe?

Yarborough: A really good pair of jeans, leather oxford shoes and a jacket.

Lytvinenko: A white t-shirt, jeans, and a jean jacket.