Blue Cast: Tom Leonard Reflects on 4 Decades in Denim
The people who devote their careers to the denim industry develop a special connection to the material. And once a blue blood, always a blue blood.
In the latest episode of our Blue Cast podcast, Lenzing’s Tricia Carey chatted with Tom Leonard, the former senior vice president of global sales for Cone Denim. Freshly retired, Tom reflected on his career and how he has seen denim evolve over his four decades in the business. He calculates that in total, he sold 750 million yards of fabric, which could make about 500 million pairs of jeans.
Tom entered the denim sales world by chance. After studying political science in college, he briefly worked in the golf industry after graduation. He then moved to New Jersey and met with headhunters to find his next move, and one of them asked him if he ever considered selling textiles. He says he replied, “Well, everybody’s got to wear clothes; why not.” He was offered a job at Cone and took it, beginning a new career in 1981.
During the four decades since, Tom has only worked at two denim companies: Cone and Avondale. While today the trend is job hopping, he noted that by remaining in one place, an employee can have influence and contribute to growth. And the secret to succeeding at a long tenure is flexibility. “If you’re not adaptable, you’re probably going to change jobs pretty often,” he said.
For Tom, adapting has meant switching communication mediums and skills—from carbon copies to email—but he has also watched the denim industry change.
Early on at Cone, Tom was promoting lightweight denim for products like shirts and prairie skirts, which at the time was a new fabrication for the mill. Later, he saw the switch from ring spun to open end denim, which was more efficient and created smoother yarns.
Decades ago, denim was mostly rigid, but Cone and other mills began washing jeans. Denim manufacturers also added stretch. Remembering his first stretch order, Tom said it was for a Lee women’s jean. At the time, buyers thought the 12-ounce denim was too lightweight, and the fact that it could stretch 14 percent seemed high. That mindset has changed since, with stretch now widely used in the market.
Another change came in the form of “third fibers,” or materials like TENCEL™ that changed denim’s hand feel. It also ushered in a move toward more sustainable fabrications.
“Sustainability is the latest…phenomenon, and it’s here to stay,” said Tom. He added of all these evolutions, “Fads come and go, but fundamental change affects the business for a really long time.”
Listen to the full episode here.