Jesse James vs. Von Dutch

The article “Jesse James Wants to Take You From Dork to Cool in 20 Minutes” (by Elizabeth Khuri, Men’s Fashion Issue, April 9) quotes James referring to Von Dutch and other clothing companies: “They’re all copying everything right from us and making bank off it. And they don’t make motorcycles, they don’t build cars, they don’t know how to weld and fabricate and have this whole lifestyle and shop.” Each of these statements is false.

Von Dutch has existed since 1996, and from what I understand, James has only been creating his budget-priced apparel for about three years. Our company’s namesake, Von Dutch (aka Kenny Howard), was the godfather of “Kustom Kulture,” a movement based on the custom-ization of motorcycles and cars.

We are the original purveyors of Southern California lifestyle streetwear. James would not be attempting to duplicate our success in the world of premium apparel if we had not laid out the blueprint for him. We have created a brand that has extended into clothing, sunglasses, watches, energy drinks and even motorcycles. Our custom motorcycle company, Von Dutch Kustom Cycles, has been in business for three years.

Tonny Sorensen

Chief executive officer

Von Dutch Originals