It was only a matter of time before Alex Mill introduced jeans to its assortment.
For women, three five-pocket styles—mid-rise tapered, high-rise straight and a boy/slouch—were launched last week in two washes. For men, there is just one style—the “perfect” straight leg, in three washes. But Alex Mill is expected to launch additional jeans styles down the road.
“It was not a difficult decision for us to do jeans,” said Mickey Drexler, chairman of Alex Mill. “Think about this, who doesn’t wear denim? It is the most ubiquitous style and fabric in the world. When we relaunched Alex Mill (in 2019) clearly we had a vision for what Alex Mill could be going forward. Of course, denim was on our list.”
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“We’re always schmoozing with our customers, and what we heard was that they could not find a jean that fits them well,” Drexler said, asked if another denim offering was needed in the saturated jeans market.
Added Somsack Sikhounmuong, creative director of Alex Mill, “Everyone has one great pair of jeans—their favorite pair of jeans, that favorite fit. But finding the “perfect fit” is difficult and it’s different for every person. We wanted to offer just a few great styles and washes that were the one pair of jeans that would always be your go-to.”
Alex Mill’s denim is all made in America, in Los Angeles at a factory Alex Mill indicated in a statement is known for “a clean approach” to denim production, for quality and fit, and for utilizing a process yielding the least amount of waste possible. The company indicated that 98 percent of the waste is reused. Even fabric scraps are used to create furniture at the factory. The jeans range in price from $195 to $225.
“The process is also highly specialized and thoughtful,” the company said in a statement. “To create one pair of jeans, there are a total of 30 to 33 steps involved in the sewing of each pair, and each step is carried out by a specialist along the sewing line. Each piece of jeans is able to get the attention it deserves.”
Drexler and Sikhounmuong work with Alex Drexler, founder and Mickey’s son. Roxanne Stahl O’Hara was chief executive officer. She was hired in May 2023 but left the company early in 2024.
Alex Mill, a small company, operates out of a modest, 6,000-square-foot site on Lafayette Street in SoHo with a couple of dozen workers. Originally, Alex was on a quest to make the perfect men’s shirt and so Alex Mill was launched. However, the collection has evolved into a tightly edited offering of wardrobe essentials.
