Kimberly Caldwell, Fall 2009 YMI Jeanswear Brand Ambassador.

To drop a few names, Aimee Teegarden, Alexis Dziena, Kimberly Caldwell, Audrina Patridge, Hayden Panetierre, Heidi Montag, Ashley Greene, Kristin Cavallari, The Veronicas, Paris Hilton and Leighton Meester, are all celeb fans of this denim label.  The jeans have been featured in Lucky, Glamour, Elle, Seventeen, Teen Vogue, People Style Watch, OK!, Life & Style and Star.  So, what am I talking about?  Oh, none other than YMI Jeanswear.  A play-on of “Why am I,” which relates to all young women and girls seeking the freedom to be what they want to be, the aptly-named YMI has its roots firmly established and is recognized as a leader in the Junior/young contemporary denim category.

Hatched in 2001, YMI Founder and President David Vered and partner Michael Godigian, carved out a niche for themselves in the junior denim market.  Vered, who had previously founded the profitable David’s Place Inc., in 1996, an off price clothing company specializing in women’s, men’s, and junior apparel, now oversees operations of David’s Place along with David’s Place partner Moshe Zaga, and is dedicated daily to his role as Founder and President of YMI Jeanswear.  YMI has had steady incremental growth since the company’s inception.  Headquartered in downtown Los Angeles’ Fashion District, YMI jeans can be found at Nordstrom, Dillard’s, Belk, (divisions of) May Co. and Macy’s department stores, specialty chain stores and sport specialty stores across the U.S. and worldwide.

DT: Why did you choose to focus on the junior denim market?
YMI: YMI Jeanswear entered the market soon after the $200 contemporary jean made its long-standing debut, which paved a nice opportunity for denim with the same look and feel as contemporary for under $100.

Alexis Dziena, YMI Jeanswear Spring 2009 Brand Ambassador.

DT: The inseams seem to be for adult lengths. Are the jeans then also made for petite but tall figures who would fit better in your sizing?
YMI: The average inseams range from 32″- 34″for our junior category, YMI from the City of Angels (sizes 0-13), and our young contemporary category, YMI Premium (sizes 24-32).  YMI Jeans additionally carries three (3) other categories; YMI Girl (sizes 4-6x & 7-16), missy YMI Royalty (sizes 6-16), and YMI Junior Plus (sizes 14-26).

DT: What are the core designs?
YMI: The core designs for YMI are bootcut, fit ‘n’ flare and skinny.

DT: What is the general denim weight of your jeans?
YMI: Approximately 10.5 oz [Editor's note: this means it is soft, but not too thin.]

DT: Are there going to be any new denim styles?
YMI: YMI is using a new potassium blast color treatment and state-of-the-art laser cut for the destructed look.

DT: Is YMI Jeanswear spinning off any new lines?
YMI: YMI is creating a new category of young contemporary career-wear called “YMI Collection.”  The category will feature 3-pieced suits consisting of cotton/spandex trousers with matching jackets and vests in a variety of colors and styles such as pin strips, plaids and solids.

For Fall ‘09 YMI Premium is extending its core category by popular demand, with state-of-the-art fabrics (98% cotton and 2% spandex) constructed to hug and mold your curves.  Each style is unique and identified by fun, chic names such as “Honey” for the bootcut style, “Glam” for the fit ‘n’ flare style, “Rockstar” for the super skinny style and “Foxy” for the straight leg style.

DT: How do we best care for our YMI jeans?
YMI: Machine wash cold, turning denim in-side-out.  Avoid the dryer for color retention and add a little fabric softener for the just machine-dried feel.

Learn more about YMI Jeans:
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– Kathy Ng Hassan