When I first heard about Citizens of Humanity, I thought it was a non-governmental organization working for people empowerment, upholding equality and basic human rights, etc.

I was surprised to know that the name was actually a brand name for designer jeans. That was way back in 2004, and now with Citizens of Humanity or COH being one of the leaders in denims and jeans apparel, I know better. 

Based in Huntington Park, California, the Citizens of Humanity was founded by the makers of "7 For All Mankind,"another popular brand name in jeans fashion. It was Michael Glasser and Jerome Dahan who founded 7 For All Mankind in 2000.

The partners then recruited Peter Koral of L’Koral for financial backing. The 7 For All Mankind popularized the distressed denim style, or jeans which were intentionally ripped, poked with holes, and stained in order to appear old, worn or vintage. The style was a big success. Originally carrying women only denims, the company eventually introduced men’s jeans in 2002.

But the relationship of Glasser and Dahan with Koral soon came to an end. In late 2002, Dahan and Glasser left 7 For All Mankind and subsequently filed a law suit against Koral charging him of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of oral contract. As the court case progressed, Glasser and Dahan decided to launch Citizens of Humanity in 2003.

Citizens of Humanity today has a complete lineup of women’s and men’s jeans as well as sweaters, shirts and jackets. Their signature is a twisted "H" on stitched on the back pockets of their jeans. They are known to release special edition jeans which features pockets that have unique stitchings which are never reissued.

The innovative designs of Citizens of Humanity lineup made them popular in the US. Apart from the design, superior quality, universal fit, and consistent sizes, the company uses denim imported directly from Italy. Also unique from other jeans is the non-contoured waistbands which prevents the so-called "plumber’s crack" so often seen in other denims.

The COH jeans are known to stretch, having their denims made with 2% lycra blend, 100% cotton blend, or with 2% polyurethane blend. The latter is added in order to maintain the jean’s shape even with prolong use.

Basic cuts of the women denims of COH include the bootcut (Kelly), flare (Ingrid), wide leg (Faye), straight leg (Ava), skinny leg (Avedon), ankle length skinny leg (Paley), and the slim fit capri (Bardot).

Last 2006, COH announced that they entered into a partnership with Berkshire Partners, a leading private equity company based in Boston, Massachusetts, to further the company’s growth and expansion. And in recent news, COH acquired GoldSign luxury denim brand. GoldSign’s Adriano Goldschmied joined COH as a partner and Executive Vice President of Product Development.

Goldschmied is well known in the denims industry having created such brands as Diesel, Replay, AG Adriano Goldschmied and GoldSign.

Visit their Website at http://www.citizensofhumanity.com