Denim Revival Keeps Hollywood’s Jeans Looking Good

Anahit Anny Adamyan has been repairing Angelenos’ jeans since Y2K was trending the first time.

Denim Revival, formally known as Denim Doctors, launched in 2000 providing simple and basic denim repairs. Adamyan, who began sewing at age 14 and worked as a head pattern maker and head pattern cutter in a factory in her native Albania before coming to the U.S., had more denim knowledge and skills to offer, however. In 2006, she was named Denim Revival’s “original tailor” and in 2010 she bought the business.

Denim Revival now serves as a workshop where customers can peruse the front of the store filled with band tees, military surplus and “essential vintage denim that never goes out of style” and have them altered to their liken in the back. Most bring in their favorite pairs for a wide range of repair and customization services offered by Adamyan and her team.

The team can also create made-to-measure jeans and works with a local laundry on washes. “Usually, a customer will bring in a pair they like, and we’ll make a pattern based off that sample, tweak it, make it any kind of design they want,” Adamyan said, adding they pick the fabric and trims.

“We just had a client ask for wide-leg chino style. We did a pair for him in raw denim and another pair that was washed down,” she said.

Repair services span buttons, zippers and rivets replacements to creating new button holes and belt loops, replacing pockets and invisible repair to make ripped and worn-in jeans look as close to new as possible. Denim Revival’s alteration menu covers everything from lowering the waist of jeans and adapting regular styles into maternity ones to tapering the waist, leg and knees—up or down—of jeans.

“We’ve learned and grown a lot to where we can pretty much repair any jean, any style,” Adamyan said.

Repairs are usually “tendency based” and reflect the daily life of the owner. “We have one customer that’s been bringing in the same pair of jeans for 20 years that rips almost in the exact spot every time,” she said.

Adamyan sees more variety in clients’ customization requests, including more non-denim items including ready-to-wear, outerwear, footwear and even pet apparel.

Recently, the baggy trend has brought in more customers wanting to take in the waist or adjust the length of baggy jeans to perfect the fit. “We’ve also been adding panels on the side to make them wider and baggier. During the summer we were taking a lot of pre-owned and vintage jeans and turning them into skirts. We’ve also been doing a lot of shirt-cropping with a single stitch,” she said.  

Being in Los Angeles means brands and Hollywood calls on Adamyan’s expertise. She has worked with RRL, Balmain, YSL, American Rag, Fred Segal and others on various projects. Denim Revival also provided alterations and custom jeans for “The Ellen Show.” Celebrities like Ryan Gosling, Zac Efron, Hilary Swank and Scottie Pippen have also popped in to have work on their jeans, but Adamyan makes time for everyone. “I love my customers. They are very important for me,” she said.  

Denim Revival’s client list stretches beyond Tinsel Town. Customers from Florida, New York, London and Sweden send in jeans for repair and customization. Adamyan also keeps a small shop in Las Vegas for alterations, but she said nowhere can be compared to L.A.

“There’s just not enough crazy denim people anywhere else,” she said.

This article is published in Rivet’s Fall 2024 issue. Click here to read more.