Beija-Flor jeans wholesaler finds perfect fit for new boutique in downtown Greenville
BY ANGELIA DAVIS • STAFF WRITER • JANUARY 23, 2010

Fans of Beija-Flor Jeans will soon have access to the company’s entire denim line through one local retailer.

Greenville-based Beija-Flor plans to debut its first retail store, Beija-Boutique, next month in the existing Plaza Suite store in downtown Greenville.

It will be the company’s flagship store, giving the owners/designers Kathy Moca and her daughter, Emilie Whitaker, the opportunity to showcase the entire Beija-Flor line of jeans in every style and size.

Beija-Flor jeans are currently sold wholesale and can be found in more than 250 boutiques across the United States.

Whitaker said smaller stores typically carry only sizes and styles they sell the most of rather than the entire line of a product.

“We are always getting calls for an individual style or size for one customer, so we figure why not have a location where our customers can go to and have the entire line at their disposal,” Moca said.

Terry Sadowski, owner of Plaza Suite at 550 S. Main St., was one of the first boutiques to support Beija-Flor when the company was launched four years ago.

Sadowski was also a “friendly competitor” when Moca was a retailer for 20-plus years on Augusta Road.

“We worked very closely on organizing the Augusta Road Business Association,” Moca said. “We learned early on that people can compete and work towards a common goal. We both have that win-win kind of philosophy on business.”

Sadowski said her support of the brand goes beyond the fact that Beija-Flor is rooted in Greenville.

“These jeans are miracle jeans. I’ve had women come in to my store who could never find a pair that fit them just right and now own 4 and 5 pairs of Beija-Flor,” she said.

Whitaker can relate. Her unsuccessful attempt to find “the perfect jeans” a few years ago is one factor that led to the launch of Beija-Flor in 2005.

She had been living in Washington when her mother brought her a pair a jeans from Brazil, where her father is from.

“It was like that movie, “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.” They (the jeans) fit me, they fit my friend, they fit my sister and we all had different shapes,” Whitaker said.
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“What we discovered is the denim in Brazil has a stretch factor and the way they construct the jeans takes into consideration women’s curves. Most jeans here (in the U.S.) are straight up and down, based on most men’s bodies.”

She said Moca returned to Brazil and did more research. Later they found a factory in her dad’s home state that aligns with their own business principles and makes “really nice jeans.”

However, the Beijia-Flor jeans are altered for the American market. Rather than the traditional low-riding styles of Brazil, they come with a contoured waist that dips in the front and sits higher on the backside which helps to alleviate any gaping in the rear.

“We’ve been really fortunate in tapping into a frustration that exists among women trying to find pants that fit, especially a jean that fits,” Whitaker said. “We don’t feel like your body shape or size should limit you from experiencing the trends or the fashions.”

The November 2009 People magazine featured Beija-Flor’s Stacey Skinny jean, with the style editor saying, “These jeans changed my life.”

The Beija-Flor Boutique in Plaza Suite will be sort of a test market for the jeans before their release to other markets. It will house jeans that aren’t necessarily being sold anywhere else.

“It’s kind of like a focus group store. We’ve been telling Terry (Sadowski) to tell people she’s in the ear of the designers,” Whitaker said. “If they’re looking for a certain leg opening or they want us to do different sizes, let us know.”