Bill Mitchell didn’t launch his denim brand by running up his credit cards or tapping deep-pocketed investors. He did it the old-fashioned way—by working his ass off in his parent’s basement. Seven years in, the self-taught designer is the proud owner of Billiam Jeans, which now has a dedicated showroom and workshop in Greenville.

Stop by any Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and you’ll see first-hand just how devoted Mitchell is to making high-quality garments by hand. Pals up at the Cone Mills textile factory in Greensboro, NC, supply him with bolts of rare and unusual selvedge, a fraction of which is pictured here. With that he makes handsome denim aprons for the baristas at Methodical Coffee, plus hundreds of pairs of custom jeans. And when we say “custom,” we don’t just mean taking a hem up. We’re talking half a dozen measurements to get every inch right: waist, hips, thighs, knees, ankles, rise, and that funny part between your crotch and the top of your derrière. (Props to Mitchell for not shouting out any incriminating numbers across the workroom floor; he’s stealth like that.)

Five minutes in this guy’s presence and his enthusiasm for indigo is infectious; you say you want a pair of dark, skinny, high-rise jeans and he’ll roll out 10 different weaves and weights. Whatever cut, style, and fabric you ultimately decide on, the price is always $250 (insanely fair considering the couture nature of the fitting). And should anything ever bust on the jeans—these, or any other pair, by any brand under the sun—Mitchell will fix them for FREE (!!!) on the shop’s vintage Singer darning machine. Mind 💥.

205 Wade Hampton Blvd., Greenville, SC; 864-430-2762.