All in the Family with Olah
Since 1959, Olah Inc. has been firming up its footing as a leader in the denim space, and now the company hosts one of the sector’s foremost denim shows: Kingpins—which, according to Olah Inc., began as a “We love jeans” party in New York City.
Next up in our “All in the Family” summer series is Emily Olah, from Olah Inc. and daughter of Andrew Olah.
Olah Inc. started out as a Canadian textile agency helping factories get their denim wares to market, and evolved over the years to bring its own fabrics and jeans to market. And since that first “We love jeans” party in 2004, Kingpins has expanded to shows in Amsterdam, Hong Kong and cities in China.
With a mission to love what they do, Andrew Olah has carried the business on savvy and innovation, but never forgetting the fun, and his daughter has followed suit.
Here’s a look at how denim took shape in Emily’s world, and how even though blue ran through the family blood, being in the industry was never part of her plan.
Carved in Blue: What was your very first impression of the denim business?
Emily: When I was in junior high the jeans you wore to school became a big deal. I was excited because I knew my dad worked in the industry and he could get me the ones I wanted. All the kids were wearing Replay and Big Star. So I asked my dad to get me a pair and he said ‘NO WAY! They are way too expensive.’
Carved in Blue: Did you always want to go into the denim business?
Emily: No, I never planned on the denim business at all. Every family vacation we ever had he was always on the phone with the mills or customers for hours. I went to college for biology, but turns out I was terrible in sciences. I found out after college I was really good in production, which lead me to work in a garment factory with my dad’s best friend who taught me everything about garment production.
Carved in Blue: What about your children—would you want them to follow your footsteps into the denim business?
Emily: I want my children to do something they love. My father LOVES the denim industry, as do I. If my kids chose this same path, I would support them 1000 percent. I think we all would.
Carved in Blue: When did you realize you are a blueblood?
Emily: My true love for the denim industry started when I worked with Rogan. He was one of the most creative denim designers I have ever met. We traveled around the world developing denim and I was hooked.
Carved in Blue: What do you think’s in store for the denim industry in the future?
Emily: I started in the denim industry during the explosion of premium denim. It was so much fun! We spent time in laundries making our jeans stand out from other jeans in zillions of intricate ways. Now laundries all over the world are capable of executing all the intricacy in large volume. I think the future of denim lies in sustainability and traceability. This is the new premium.
Carved in Blue: What’s the best advice your dad ever gave you?
Emily: Do what you love. If you stick with that motto you will never go wrong.
Carved in Blue: What does Carved in Blue mean to you?
Emily: This is the conversation link in the denim industry, a place for connecting the denim industry.