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Darrell Satzman Issue: June 30, 2003 IT'S amazing what hanging around in the right crowd can do for you. Until about six months ago, Tonny Sorensen was struggling with his three-year-old Von Dutch clothing line. Then all of a sudden Von Dutch caps, T-shirts and jeans began showing up on style mavens like Britney Spears, Lil' Kim, Fred Durst, Rachel Hunter and others. A streaker at the U.S. Open golf tournament in May had a Von Dutch sweatshirt tied around her waist. There is now a franchised Von Dutch store in Beverly Hills, with others planned for New York, Las Vegas and in Europe. Meanwhile, boutiques from Paris to Providence, R.I. are now carrying the brand. "From minus $3 million last year it's probably going to be a $20 million company this year," said Sorensen, a native of Copenhagen and a former Tae Kwon Do world champion. "I'm overwhelmed." So why would a Dane name start a company called Von Dutch? The company is named after legendary Southern California artist and grease monkey Von Dutch (aka Kenny Howard), who attracted a devoted following between the 1950s and 1970s pinstriping and customizing vintage cars and motorcycles. Sorensen, who was souping up his 1965 Cadillac DeVille in a Melrose garage, purchased the trademark for the Von Dutch name from the garage owner, who had licensed it from the artist's daughters. Von Dutch now offers everything from trucker style caps ($35) to custom-made jeans (up to $1,500). "It started in L.A. and now it's definitely moved to other cities," said Tommy Reid, manager of Montana Avenue boutique Patrick Reid, and brother of actress Tara Reid, an early Von Dutch devotee. "It's a very trendy line because of the celebrities."
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