An Introduction To Red Cotton Denim – One Man Brands

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Red Cotton Denim

We feature brands on Heddels not because of any kind of paid deal we have with them, but instead because we feel there is something unique about their product, story, and ideas. As we grow as a site, we are hearing from more and more single person brands who are making things one-by-one in small batches and incorporating their own ideas of what they need and like in their jeans. It’s always interesting to see the variations on denim coming from people all over the world and this week, we focus on Red Cotton Denim, a brand from Oakland, CA.

Red Cotton Denim is led by founder, Camillo Love, and born out of Love’s discovery that raw denim options which fit his 6’5″ (or 196cm) frame are rather limited. Although he had no official training in sewing and making patterns, he set out to to learn with the help of other Bay Area jean makers, such as Roy Slaper from Roy Denim. After a lot of trial and error, he began making jeans that not only fulfilled his needs, but that also caught the attention of his friends, complete strangers, and local stores.

Red Cotton Denim slim straight jeans

Red Cotton Denim slim straight jeans

Hand stamped patches and hang tags

Hand stamped patches and hang tags

Red Cotton Denim‘s current jean is a simple design based on what he likes in a jean. It’s a slim straight made from a lighter weight 12 oz. Cone Mills selvedge denim with a medium rise. It features nickel plated rivets throughout the jean, a YKK zipper fly, and a leather patch sourced from a local Bay Area tannery.

What’s interesting about the jean is the absence of the coin pocket which Love left off because he never had much use of the pocket and wanted a cleaner stripped-down look in the jean. The result is a versatile jean that can be easily dressed up or dressed down, and at $198.00, it’s at a price point that’s lower than you’d expect for a handmade jean.

I had a chance to visit Love’s workshop in Oakland and watch him finish up the last few jeans in the current batch of jeans he’s creating. The space reflects the same simplicity and streamlined aesthetic as the jeans.

Although we’ve seen many one man brands, it’s still inspiring to see one person make a pair of jeans from start to finish. Looking at the variety of fabrics, threads, and samples he has around the studio, it seems Love has plenty of ideas for future releases that he is keeping secret for the time being.

Red Cotton Denim workshop in Oakland, CA

Red Cotton Denim workshop in Oakland, CA

Sneak peak of fabrics and samples

Sneak peak of fabrics and samples

As for right now, Red Cotton Denim is only available for order on his website and Blue Jeans Bar in San Francisco, CA. Connect with him on Facebook to keep updated on new releases in the future and see behind the scenes shots.