Everyone has a favorite pair of jeans, that one that fits you just right.
But Andrew Rayl doesn’t have just one cherished pair, he has a thorough appreciation for denim. He notices the details beyond the wash and cut: the rivets on the pockets, the stitching, the fabric, the tab, the hand work. The 32-year-old is a denim junkie, a walking historian of the craft.
It started when he was 18, long before it was common to spend $100 to $200 on jeans. But to him, it was an investment. And he wasn’t into trendy brands. He preferred vintage Levi’s, that selvage denim produced on old and rare shuttle looms.
The jeans start off rigid and hard, but with the wear and tear of life, they become cashmere soft.
“It’s a piece of art,” Drew says of a pair of old jeans. “Raw denim slowly molds to the body, fading out at strain points, slowly becoming an imprint of you. They wear behind the knees, whisker at the thighs. These jeans are a unique reflection of the person who wears them.”
Most pairs feature a chain stitch, which forms a thick woven rope along the seams. The trouble is, it’s not easy to find a tailor to hem those jeans. Over the years, Drew would send jeans to New York and California, to tailors who had the machine. It was an expensive hassle.
Three years ago, he decided to buy his own machine on eBay. At the time, he had a career as a DJ and music producer. He didn’t know how to sew or hem.
But he figured he would teach himself.
“If I like something, I’m not scared to dig deep down the rabbit hole and figure it out,” he says. “I have an undying curiosity. I taught myself to DJ. Why not teach myself to sew?”
After a while, he found himself spending more time with denim than music. He became a regular at Standard Style boutique, owned by Kansas City fashion powerhouse couple Matt and Emily Baldwin.
Matt is also a denim head. He has his own line of jeans designed locally, Baldwin Denim, worn by the likes of Ellen DeGeneres and Elijah Wood. Baldwin is a perfect fit for Drew. The collection features selvage denim and the chain stitch. For a denim lover, it’s a jackpot.
Drew talked denim with Matt and over time, they developed a rapport. When Matt realized Drew had a chainstitch machine, he asked him to tailor his jeans.
Soon, Drew had clients. Last year, when Matt launched the Baldwin flagship store at 4573 W. 119th St. in Leawood, he hired Drew to be operations manager and one of two in-house tailors.
Just like that, he went from DJ to tailor. But he still spins records on occasion and curates the music at the store, too.
“I have a habit of manifesting my hobbies into jobs,” says Drew. “I get to geek out on denim and get paid for it. It’s exciting to be a part of something and watch it flourish. It’s a fairly exciting ride, and I don’t see it slowing down. Our jeans are going to be in GQ next month.”
Drew says he didn’t realize how rare it is for someone to just pick up and chase new dreams. He says people shouldn’t waste time being bored or unhappy at work.
“Don’t be scared to follow a dream,” he says. “Pursue it. And don’t do it for the money. Do it because you love it, and it will pay off.”
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