Tellason's Secret to Success: Quality & Authenticity

Q&A with Tellason's Two Co-Founders

In the dynamic and ever-evolving world of fashion, it’s not easy to make a name for yourself. Yet that’s exactly what Tellason have achieved.?

The San Francisco-based brand is a beacon of excellence in the competitive denim market. With its unwavering commitment to quality, authenticity, and good ol’ fashioned customer service, Tellason have carved a unique niche for themselves, resonating with the discerning customer who values craftsmanship and integrity over fleeting trends.

In this Q&A the two co-founders, Tony Patella and Peter Searson , I dive deeper into the strategies and philosophies that drive Tellason's sustained success and growth. You’ll learn about their approach to manufacturing and customer service, to the insights garnered from years of brand building and management.

Q: You have successfully navigated the competitive denim market. Can you share insights into the strategic decisions that have been crucial to Tellason's growth and sustained success in the business?

A: Make great products. Make it in a place that feels like some sort of ground zero for that type of product. Call people on the phone who have questions. We find that this lost art of customer service goes a long way, at least for us.

Q: As entrepreneurs in the fashion industry, what key lessons have you learned about brand building and management that you believe would be valuable for aspiring business leaders?

A: Don’t get suckered into a product category that you don’t really care about. Be true to yourself and don’t bother looking around the corner for the next wave of whatever trend. Stay true to your cause and your customers will buy your stuff. How many microwaves do you think Apple could sell? Well, they don’t sell any because they don’t give a shit about an Apple microwave. Bravo.

Q: Tellason emphasizes small-batch production. How does this approach align with your business model, and what advantages does it offer in terms of quality control and customer engagement?

A: Small batch all the way. Also, we don’t change the designs of our core product. No thread color changes, no pocket detail innovations. Just leave it alone. We pack everything ourselves so our eyes are on it all the way. In the end, the customer gets a pair of jeans he or she likes and somehow, someway, the final product is dialed in. That would be hard to do if we were just sitting back and letting a distribution center dive into all our shipping needs. If there was a label missing, they might catch it, but we really know what to look for to make sure it is as perfect as possible.

Q: Collaborations often play a significant role in the fashion business. Could you highlight any noteworthy collaborations that have had a positive impact on Tellason's brand positioning and business growth?

A: At the beginning, a blog post and collaboration jean with Michael Williams of “A Continuous Lean” had a big impact on our growth. The reach of the blog was enormous in our small part “fashion world” and really got a lot of eyeballs focused on what we were doing. The Pop Up Flea in New York was part of this as well and led to many important relationships.

Q: What advice would you give to other brands when it comes to collaborations?

A: Don’t do any collaborations if the fit is not there. Nothing is worse than a collaboration that is based on commercial opportunities. Think of something cool to do with another brand that makes unbelievable stuff that resonates with you as a consumer. If both parties feel the same way, go for it. Don’t force it. Your customers will smell a skunk a mile away, then you will just come off looking like a hungry opportunistic Joe Blow.

Q: The denim industry has a rich heritage, and Tellason seems to strike a balance between tradition and innovation. How do you leverage the brand's heritage while staying innovative and appealing to a modern audience?

A: First, we do not consider ourselves a “heritage” brand. We are 15 years old. When we turn 150 years old, we will freely use that word for our brand. What we do lean on is a deep respect for how things were made when denim was made for the working class. This is a huge feature for us. This stuff has to be tough. Not everyone buys our stuff and lives a ‘soft’ life. Some of our proudest moments involve people out there who wear our goods for their uniform, or for their tough jobs. On a wall in our office are old jeans from demolition men, landscape architects, punk rockers, and skateboarders who are not afraid to lay down a “Bert” (see Larry Bertleman).

If a dude wants to buy our jeans and his life is sitting at a desk and eating chèvre and caviar on the weekends, great. We can dig that but will remind him that if he were ever out and about camping or building a treehouse, he can and should wear our jeans.

Q: Sustainability is a buzzword in the fashion industry today. What steps have Tellason taken to incorporate sustainable practices into its business model, and how do these efforts resonate with environmentally conscious consumers?

A: This is an easy one. We have always preached to only wash your jeans when they get a little dirty or if flies are calling your jeans home. In the end, if they are really dirty, please wash your jeans. This process of washing jeans only once in a while will save a ton of water and a ton of energy. We also value the importance of repairing an old pair of jeans. You will get a few more months or years post-repair and that will help keep the consumption down.

Q: Customer engagement is crucial in the digital age. How does Tellason utilize digital platforms to connect with its audience and build a strong online community?

A: Instagram is big for us. Tony runs this and has curated a culture that is about as real as it gets to tell the Tellason story. Beyond the content, he is actively engaging with our people out there directly. The sarcasm, the love for pop culture, the humor, he does it all and it feels to me that the people out there like the fact that we don’t farm out that part of our brand. They are speaking to one of the owners and luckily, that still matters to some.

Q: The denim market is ever-evolving. How does Tellason stay ahead of industry trends, and what strategies do you employ to ensure that the brand remains relevant to your target demographic?

A: We don’t want to sound crass but we really don’t spend a minute working out how we can stay ahead of the industry trends. Maybe we are just too old to care about living on the edge of the ax. There is comfort for us to wake up each day and focus on these classic ideas of what a man should wear.?

Maybe we would be better off to chase the fashion unicorn but by not doing so, we have time to tell a story or two that is somehow completely related to what we want to accomplish as a brand.?

When someone says “WD40” you think of that blue and yellow spray can that solves problems around the house. When someone says, “KFC” you think of really shitty chicken. When someone says “Tellason”, hopefully people will think about how we make goods in a good place and care deeply about the whole experience.

Q: Looking to the future, what role do you see technology playing in the growth and development of Tellason? Are there specific technological advancements or trends that you believe will impact the business in the coming years?

A: If there were, we would be happy to explain them here, but alas, there are not …

Visit Tellason's website to take a closer look at their jeans and other products.

Every week, they name one of their products the 'Item of the Week'. In a short video, they dive into the story behind the product, discussing how it came to be part of the Tellason family, its pre-Tellason history, and how it can be styled.

Each Item of the Week is discounted by 20%, so it’s definitely worthwhile to get notifications from Tellason each time they announce a new Item of the Week.

Check out the current Item of the Week here and sign up to receive them weekly.

I'd also encourage you to follow the brand on Instagram .