Threads of the West

Amanda Kimes is refreshing ranch wear with jeans that have spirit in every stitch

By Kaylor Jones / Photos by Claudia Johnstone

Devotees of the Kimes Ranch brand will tell you – they’re so much more than just a pair of jeans. Every pair is a reflection of the authenticity, work ethic and community emblematic of the Western lifestyle. Since day one, that’s been the vision of vice president Amanda Kimes and her husband and business partner Matt.

“Matt and I used to have these conversations when we were newly dating – ‘If you could do anything in life, what would it be?’ We both, oddly enough, would come back to starting a jean company,” Kimes says. “Our lives were rooted in the Western industry, and wearing jeans daily was our norm. We weren’t happy with what we were wearing. Western jeans at the time weren’t very fashionable and fashion jeans weren’t very durable.”

They may not have had experience in fashion, design or retail – Matt comes from the finance world and, at the time of their marriage in 2009, Kimes worked as a wine rep – but they sure knew their jeans.

“Living on a ranch, riding and showing horses, and working around large animals means you live most of your life in jeans. They are durable and practical – and a very difficult garment to make. We always joke about how it would have been so much easier to start with tees or ball caps.”

Though the country was in the midst of the recession, with Matt’s insurance business slowing down and banks hesitant to lend to startups, the couple decided they shouldn’t wait any longer to pursue their passion project. They threw themselves into building the company from the ground up, sourcing suppliers and peddling their jeans at countless trade shows.

The result of that dedication, Kimes Ranch (www.kimesranch.com), fulfills the dream of jeans that are both flattering and functional down to the last detail. Women can choose from various waistlines that provide coverage on horseback while looking stylish enough to wear around town, while the men’s jeans include useful features like knife pockets. All styles are made from high-quality, ring-spun denim designed to stand up to daily wear and tear.

One of the keys to their success? Creating a recognizable brand, Kimes says, something “that would last long after Matt and I were around. We feel we did that with our logo.”

The logo, the streamlined silhouette of a longhorn cow, was inspired by the two Texas longhorns, Barney and Betty, the Kimeses owned at the time. Today, the horn-embroidered pocket is a marker of quality that immediately identifies a garment as a Kimes Ranch jean – whether spotted on the streets, splashed across the pages of magazines like American Cowboy and Horse & Rider, or worn by characters in award-winning TV shows Yellowstone and Heartland.

Up & Coming

Over the years, Kimes Ranch has expanded to hats, T-shirts, outerwear and even merch for the upcoming Kimes Ranch Million Dollar Breakaway. Taking place November 24-30 at WestWorld of Scottsdale, the event epitomizes the brand’s mission to elevate Western culture and empower women in rodeo.

“This high-energy, all-women’s event is the richest breakaway roping competition in the sport, featuring seven days of high-stakes competition, over $1 million in payouts and two nights of live country music with Josh Meloy and Ashley McBryde,” Kimes says. “The event embodies everything Kimes Ranch stands for – heritage, grit and giving female athletes the spotlight they deserve.”

This passion for supporting the community stems from the knowledge that the brand they’ve worked so tirelessly to create is nothing without the people behind it, especially their loyal customers.

“We have always prided ourselves on our customer service – without our customers, we wouldn’t have a business at all. It’s so important to nurture all of those relationships. Whether we’re building relationships with retailers or our individual customers, we take great pride in providing superb service.”

And just as important as the people close to you are the ones you keep at a distance – or as Kimes’ motto goes, ‘never work with jerks.’ “I usually use more profanity when I say it in person,” she jokes. “Don’t waste your time with people who don’t help lift you up. This can be business partners, clients, customers or vendors – anyone. If someone is a jerk, remove them from your life.”

Despite any hurdles in the way, Kimes never doubted for a second that Kimes Ranch could and would succeed. As she learned early on in the journey, passion is the best antidote to doubt.

“You have to be your own biggest cheerleader. When we first started, so many people were very nervous about the path we were choosing, but we believed we could really do it. People will often ask, ‘Can you believe it? Can you believe that you created this?’ The answer is always, ‘Yes, I can believe it.’”

At Home

In their downtime, the owners are most often found on their Scottsdale ranch. Kimes grew up immersed in the Western world, showing horses in Oregon and participating in Future Farmers of America, which taught her a diverse skillset and an around-the-clock work ethic.

In time, their ranch has grown from a two-cattle herd to a fulfilling business breeding Texas longhorns, the same animals that served as design inspiration in the early days of the clothing brand. The gentle giants also provide a sense of calm and normalcy when Kimes returns from the hustle and bustle of work-related travels.

“I like the mundane routine of our ranch life. We are on the road very often, and coming home to a routine is very important. Scottsdale is such a great town,” Kimes adds. “The Western influence is incredible. The weather, the people, the adventures – Scottsdale has it all.”

That’s why it’s the perfect home base for the couple and their three kids – Jack, Katherine and Charlie – who, over the years, have served as Kimes’ greatest inspirations. “They really make me want to do all the things I push them to do. If I tell them to go for their dreams and believe in themselves, I need to do the same things.”

Looking back, Kimes says some of her most treasured memories can be found in the little moments of gratitude. In the over 15 years since launching Kimes Ranch, she and her husband have periodically returned to a scene they remember from a movie, where the characters look at each other and realize it’s finally the “someday” they’ve always talked about.

“Matt and I have said ‘someday’ a lot in our journey,” she says. “Years ago, we attended our very first National Finals Rodeo. We were in Las Vegas for two weeks, peddling our jeans in a tiny 10-by-10 booth at Cowboy Christmas, and we didn’t have a lot of money. We went to the rodeo performance one night, and we could only afford to be in the nosebleed section. We looked down at the rodeo arena that night and said to each other, ‘Someday, we’ll be in a suite with members of our team.’ Years later, we had a suite at the National Finals Rodeo. One night, while hosting guests, Matt and I looked at each other and said, ‘This is our someday.’”