Unsung Hero: Olah Inc.’s Erin Barajas and Her Dedication to Denim
The people behind Olah Inc. and premiere denim event Kingpins are a true all-star team. When every person on the roster is performing at 110 percent, it can be difficult to make sure each person gets the recognition they deserve, and Erin Barajas definitely deserves accolades.
Like many denim-industry experts, Erin, director of communications and special projects at Olah Inc. and Kingpins Media, let her passion for denim drive her blueblood career.
“Erin used to come to Kingpins when we were tiny and having our teeny garden parties in Los Angeles. She was the manufacturing editor for California Apparel News and she was always incredibly charming, good-spirited with a positive genuine interest in learning about what we did and what our show was about,” said Andrew Olah, Olah Inc. and Kingpins founder. “She was essentially always one of the happy moments of our event, and one day she agreed to work with us and bring her spirit and brain and industriousness to the Kingpins Team.”
The rest, Andrew said, is history. Carved in Blue caught up with Erin to hear her tell it in her own words, and talk about the proudest moments in her Kingpins career.
Carved in Blue: How long have you been doing this job? What keeps you there?
Erin: I’ve been with Kingpins for eight years, but my role has shifted since I started. I came from a journalism background and started at Kingpins as a producer of the Los Angeles (RIP) and New York shows. But as the shows got bigger and our global platform got larger, I put my writer and creator hat back on and focused on media and communications – producing everything from custom content for the shows to marketing materials and content for clients within the textile industry, to spearheading special projects and collaborations.
We have so much going on—from Kingpins Show to Kingpins Transformers to Denim Days and beyond –and I get to help communicate the important work our team does and create interesting ways to spotlight the denim industry. I stay because I love the work, I love the Kingpins team and I want to see what’s next.
Carved in Blue: What does the denim industry mean to you?
Erin: The denim industry to me is a big opportunity to do better. Jeans are iconic and simple and sexy. But our industry’s impact on the environment and our track record with social responsibility isn’t so hot. But what I find meaning and passion in is our efforts to do better, to clean up our act, to innovate, to behave ethically, to develop new technologies and find ways of minimizing our environmental impact. We have a long way to go, but we’re moving in the right direction and I’m proud that Kingpins and Andrew are actively pushing for and advocating for that change.
Carved in Blue: How important is your role to the greater business?
Erin: I have to make sure I get the story right, which when I’m about to hit “send” on a message that goes out to our audience of more than 30,000 industry professionals and executives worldwide, feels like a pretty big deal.
Carved in Blue: What do you love most about the job that you’re doing?
Erin: I’m in the mix and we’re mixing things up. We’re creating events that unite the denim community from the supply chain all the way through to the consumer. We’re pushing the denim industry in meaningful ways, requiring mills who participate in our most important show to adopt and implement corporate social responsibility standards. No other show has done that. We’ve implemented sustainable chemical management requirements for our exhibitors. No other show has done that.
We have partnered with the Conscious Fashion Campaign and the United Nations to amplify the Sustainable Development Goals (#SDGS) message within the denim industry – effectively connecting top and key brands directly with the UN and creating a communication channel between the jeans industry and one of the most powerful and influential organizations on the planet.
Carved in Blue: What do you love most about denim?
Erin: It tells a story.
Carved in Blue: What’s the best perk about working in your role?
Erin: The travel! I get my best sleep on planes.
Carved in Blue: What’s one idea you have for the denim industry that you don’t think enough people are talking about?
Erin: I would like us all to agree that we won’t do hip huggers ever again. Ever.
Carved in Blue: What does Carved in Blue mean to you?
Erin: It means community and collaboration.