AG Jeans

AG Jeans was founded in Los Angeles in 2000 by Italian denim designer Adriano Goldschmied and manufacturer Yul Ku. Goldschmied brought experience developing brands including Diesel, while Ku supplied the production knowledge of Koos Manufacturing. Their partnership connected design and manufacturing at a time when premium denim was becoming a major category in American fashion.

The label established its identity through carefully developed washes and an emphasis on fit. Jeans that suggested years of wear could begin with a controlled sequence of treatments, making the factory as important to the finished result as the original drawing. Different cuts broadened that approach across men’s and women’s wardrobes.

Goldschmied left the company in 2004, with Ku taking full ownership. The business expanded from denim into shirts, knitwear, and other casual clothing, building a wider wardrobe around its jeans. Its in-house production model also supported investments in water recycling, ozone treatments, and laser finishing as alternatives to more resource-intensive processes.

Under creative director Charles Sands, whose experience includes Ralph Lauren and Guess, AG continues to connect California casualwear with fabric development. Its place in menswear rests on making denim part of a complete everyday wardrobe, with the character of the wash and the shape of the jean remaining central.