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TECHNICIAN

PAGE 3 • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2012

Fashion dream made reality for alumni Andrea Danchi Staff Writer

Many students spend their college years chasing dreams and goals despite odds and obstacles. Victor and Sarah Lytvinenko had a dream in 2007 when they started their jeans company, Raleigh Denim. Five years later, the two former N.C. State students are living a real-life success story that has inspired many, one that continues to spark innovation within the Triangle area. Victor and Sarah started making jeans as a personal project in a two-person micro-factory they created in their apartment on Oberlin Road in 2007. “It was the smallest, maybe cheapest apartment in Raleigh,” Victor said. When friends started asking if they could buy the jeans, the Lytvinenkos knew that they had a product other people wanted. So they ran with it. They showcased their work at the 2007 Raleigh SparkCon fashion show, which led to their company’s first real break. Barney’s department store in New York City commissioned 114 pairs of jeans in 2008. Finally, in 2010, they opened a real factory and store, the Curatory, in Raleigh’s Warehouse District. Since then, Raleigh Denim, now renamed Raleigh,

has jumped into the fashion spotlight. In February the Lytvinenkos made their first major fashion debut, showcasing their line at New York’s Fashion Week. At that time they were considering opening a store in New York City as well. Now, eight months later, they have presented their brand new Spring/ Summer 2013 collection at New York Fashion Week for a second time, and the store they were considering opening is now a reality. That store is a boutique called Raleigh located in the Nolita (North of Little Italy) neighborhood in Lower Manhattan. The Lytvinenkos designed it with Rem Koolhaas’ Design firm OMA to reflect their factory here. The brand new store was featured in the New York Times on Sept. 13, the same month it opened. Since 2009, the company has grown from five employees to 27, and each pair of jeans Raleigh produces sells for between $215 and $325 in stores around the world. Their expanded line also includes dresses, skirts, blouses, and many other new products. What has made the work of these young designers so successful, especially in this economy? Raleigh’s products are as American-made and homemade as it gets. They partner with Cone Mills factory in White Oak, N.C. to

GUIDE

four years.” To many, like Wright, the process of registering to vote is too confusing. “There is no possible way to “I’m not a Raleigh citizen, meet these new requirements and I don’t know how to in time to get an abvote for the sentee balelection,” lot, or how Wright said. early voting New laws even works,” or not, Wright said. Wright said Wright he will not said he bebe voting in lieves voter the upcomregistration ing election. and the pro“I d o n’t cess of votre a l l y s e e ing should a p o i n t ,” be a subject Michael Cobb, Wright said. taug ht i n political professor “I don’t feel high schools that this so that when election will really make a students become eligible to huge difference in the grand vote, they will understand scheme of America. I mean, how. it’s just four more years. The The Brennan Center’s stuworld won’t be destroyed in dent voting guide strives to continued from page 1

“We have to register ourselves to vote, not the government, so to begin voting, we have to want to vote.”

PARKING continued from page 1

ridiculous in a number of ways. “Coming from someone who lived behind Hillsborough Street, I find the ban obnoxious,” McHugh said. “The families that lived around me on Daisy Street never complained; sounds like one person complained too much, causing the rest of us to suffer.” The ban has received mixed reviews, according to The News & Observer, which noted that no landlords or property rights activists appeared at the council meeting to voice their opinions about government infringement. Homeowners in support of the front yard parking ban think the ordinance is necessary to improve the quality of neighborhoods around the city. According to The News & Observer, one 71-year-old retired teacher living off Tryon Road said she felt as though

the offenders brought down their neighborhoods by parking all over the yard. She also noted that college students are not the only people who park cars on the lawns. McHugh said he t hinks t he ba n is i rritating because people who pay rent or own their own property should not be told that they are not allowed to park in their yard. “Parking in the yard is equal to freedom of speech,” McHugh said. While supporters of the ordinance argue the ban will enhance the appearance and quality of neighborhoods surrounding N.C. State’s campus, some landlords believe the changes required by the ordinance, like

GEORGIA HOBBS/TECHNICIAN

Robert Hensley of Durham, N.C. shops at Raleigh Denim Workshop and Curatory. The Raleigh-based store recently opened a shop in New York City.

get some of the highest quality denim in the country. The garments are handmade by individual workers in small numbers each day with the focus strictly on quality and craftsmanship. Their employees stitch the garments on vintage sewing machines recovered from now-defunct textile mills in North Carolina. The Ly t v inenkos have made the history of textiles in North Carolina a central part

answer many of the questions college-aged voters like Wright have about the voting process. With regard to identification, the student voting guide notes that while North Carolina voters do not need to show identification at the polls, there are some exceptional cases that do require it. If those individuals cannot show the required identification, they will vote only on a provisional ballot, which will be counted if the required identification is shown to the county board of elections within 10 days after the election. As for early voting, North Carolina’s early voting process, called “One-Stop Absentee” voting, begins the third Thursday before an election and ends on the Saturday before Election Day.

of building their own company. Many of the techniques, machines and skills that they utilize in their manufacturing process were on the verge of extinction. They are not just living the American dream — they are also placing the American stamp back on textiles in North Carolina. The Ly t v inenkos have said that their company has grown much quicker than they ever imagined it would. However, they say they will

never outgrow their commitment to their original vision. “We still pay complete attention to craft and quality,” Victor said. “We wouldn’t have expanded if we knew we couldn’t keep that.” Victor and Sarah personally sign their names on the inside of each pair of jeans their factory makes. “We’re finally in the place where we can do what we really want to do,” Victor said. As former N.C. State stu-

dents who are now achieving their own dreams, the Lytvinenkos urge current students to follow their own dreams. “Just go for it,” Victor said. “When you like something, you go for it. You may be successful and you may not, but either way, it will inform your next decision.”

GraDUaTe

Fa I r Interested In Graduate school?

Attend the 2012 Graduate Program Fair

Hosted by NC State University Career Development Center

Thursday,Tonight! October 11, 2012 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

nc state McKimmon center -Corner of Gorman St. and Western Blvd.

certain driveway standards, will force them to increase rent, according to The News & Observer. For example, property owners who do not have enough parking space in their driveway or on the st reet w i l l be required to build a paved or gravel space no larger than 40 percent of their front yard, according to Raleigh Public Record. McHugh said the rent for his house increased $75 since last year, one of the reasons he chose to move. According to Raleigh Public Record, residents with cars parked in their front yard could face fines beginning Nov. 1.

“...it is primarily aimed at reducing front yard parking in neighborhoods surrounding N.C. State, ”

Over 60 graduate programs are registered to attend!