The epic tale of Lucky Brand jeans is ultimately a story of friendship and redemption. Barry Perlman and Gene Montesano first went into business together in the 1970s. As relatively young kids, they started their own blue jean company called Four Way Street in Miami, Florida. Basically, Perlman and Montesano would just take blue jeans, bleach them, and resell them as authentic originals.

Montesano moved to Los Angeles in 1978 with virtually nothing and worked in the denim jeans industry. In 1990, he founded the Lucky Brand jeans company and quickly asked his old partner, Barry Perlman, to join him in the enterprise. Perlman and Montesano took the denim industry by storm, adding ironic messages to their jean flys, such as the iconic 'Lucky You,' and generally bucking trends. Their iconoclastic vision quickly led them to success.

Today, there are nearly a hundred Lucky jeans stores in the United States alone. Recently, the brand has expanded to Europe, opening up stores in Amsterdam, Belgium, and London. In 1999, Lucky teamed up with Liz Claiborne to create an integrated strategic business relationship.

The brand has expanded from its narrow denim focus to manufacture T-shirts, sportswear, active wear, woven apparel, and special accessories, like swimwear. Lucky jeans services consumers between the ages of 15 and 55 and counts dozens of Hollywood luminaries as fans, including Will Smith, Paris Hilton, Ben Affleck, John Travolta, and Sandra Bullock. The company continues to push the envelope. For its 15-year anniversary, it featured ads depicting the founders together as young, inexperienced kids.