By Mica Graybill and Hallie Bertrand

Inside the Los Angeles office.

With continued growth and expansion of PCCA’s vertically integrated Textile and Apparel Division, new business opportunities continue to arise. In April 2010, PCCA announced the opening of its new joint sales and product development office in Los Angeles, Calif., which will promote products from American Cotton Growers (ACG) and Denimatrix (DMX).

PCCA employees Wilson Avalos and Ryan Lupton are running the new Los Angeles office. According to Avalos, Los Angeles is known as the “Denim Mecca” of the world, so it is a great area for ACG and DMX to target an audience that plays such an active role in the fashion industry. ACG and DMX have built relationships with new clients and maintained relationships with established clients. Some key customers in the area include Gap, Guess, Lucky Brand, Rock and Republic, and Armani among several others.

Jeans on display inside the new L.A. office.

“Having our office based out of Los Angeles allows us to stay current with trends which gives us the opportunity to have a voice and an opinion regarding what is going on with denim,” Avalos said.

Avalos oversees commercial initiatives in the Los Angeles market for DMX and has an active role in the promotional activities of the organization, while Lupton works in product development for ACG and is a sales representative for ACG and DMX. Before coming to Los Angeles, Lupton worked for ACG in San Francisco, Calif., and Avalos worked for Denimatrix in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Outside the Los Angeles office.

“When we go into a meeting with a client, Wilson and I go into it as a team,” Lupton said. “Together, we bring something to the table because I have knowledge from actually selling the fabric while Wilson knows about selling the finished product. Together, we make a good combination.”

Originally an old warehouse, the Los Angeles office location had been converted by its owner into a building with a style similar to loft apartments. According to Lupton, the environment of the office has a very unique style that is representative of ACG and DMX.

“The office environment has its own culture,” Lupton said. “Customers love culture, especially when it is definitive of what a brand wants to represent.” Avalos and Lupton agree that the Los Angeles office definitely has a potential for future growth. As business keeps expanding and the client base continues to grow, Lupton and Avalos are excited to see what is in the future for ACG and DMX.