We’re all probably familiar with Rogue Territory at this point, having profiled them in our One Man Brand’s series and looked at a number of their jeans in our Fade Fridays as well as a few of their accessories in other features, but we’ve yet to touch on some of the highlights of the collection – the selvedge denim jackets.
I was recently lucky enough to get my hands on the Desert Wash edition of the 14.5 oz Nihon Menpu selvedge jacket – a jacket I’m pleased to have the chance to review here as I can’t speak about it highly enough. Founder Karl Thoennessen has come a long way from a bespoke denim tailor to competing with most of the top North American brands.
Details
- Name: Rogue Territory Desert Wash Supply Jacket
- Fabric: 100% cotton Nihon Menpu Mills selvedge denim
- Weight: 14.5oz
- Other details:
- Hand washed and distressed in Los Angeles
- Interior welt pocket
- Slim fit
- MSRP: $295.00 at Rogue Territory
Before we even get into the jacket, Rogue Territory has had a few ways of differentiating itself from the rest of the pack: maintaining that same level of craftsmanship present in the bespoke days has ensured that each piece in the line is well worth the price of admission and Thoennessen’s knowledge of denim has allowed him to push his cuts and styles to produce genuinely impressive finished products.
Fabric
So to the jacket – Thoennessen’s description is as follows: “The Desert Wash is a great example of what you could expect our 14.5oz selvedge denim from Nihon Menpu to look like after spending a few years wondering around the badlands in South Dakota. The subtle details in abrasion and hand sanding and the weight of this denim give this wash an authentic and natural look. Perfect for all seasons.” That’s the denim treatment he’s talking about. The jacket started as a raw 14.5 oz denim before being put through a unique process in a limited batch. Each was hand made in downtown Los Angeles, California. They’re individually hand-distressed for a natural worn-in look and feel.
Hang on – you might be thinking – that’s not raw denim at all. Well, you’d be right but honestly it felt prudent to temporarily stick a foot across the line between raw and treated denim that we’ve drawn in the sand for a jacket at the par of Thoennessen’s offering here. There’s a good reason he himself, as someone who typically works only with raw denim, has gone for this wash and the rationale shows in the character and hand-distressed finish of the final product.
Details
The supply jacket makes for a nice canvas to put this look on, as it’s a nice take on the classic denim jacket with a few nicely designed touches. There’s a couple of front welt ‘hand-warmer’ pockets, an interior right chest pocket cup on selvedge, a front placket cut on selvedge, adjustable tabs on the waistband, and a few other branding details.
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The hidden interior pocket is also a nice touch for keeping something like your phone safe. The way this pocket has been set up such that you can still see the details from the outside but can only access the pocket from within is a really nice bit of design work.
Fit
As far as the fit and design of the jacket goes, your own personal measurements are going to be key. For me, a size medium was about perfect in every sense but the arms which were slightly short as I am on the taller side. On me the jacket might fit a bit short, which is what I would have hoped given my desire to use it as a layering piece, but on others it would fit much closer to normal.
The denim itself still has plenty of room for the wearer to personalize it in the way raw denim does as it still gives a bit in areas that fit a little tighter, so if you do decide to size down a little you’ll be able to wear the jacket in if certain areas do feel small. The overall look of the jacket is very much on point, the silhouette flatters a number of body types.
Construction
Not only is the Supply Jacket nice looking, it happens to also be well put together – in the mould of Rogue Territory garments that have preceded it. Part of the charm of the brand is their wares staying power, and this jacket feels on the first few weeks/months of wearing like it will perform similarly well. The seams all feel strong, and despite the areas that have been abraded for the style of the jacket it doesn’t feel at all like anything is likely to fall apart. The feel of the construction perfectly fits the tough and rugged look that the jacket has been designed with.
Though understandably the jacket may lose points to some here because of its treated state, I would highly recommend the Rogue Territory Supply Jacket to anyone of our readers looking for a mid/light weight denim jacket for the summer months.
Thoennessen’s treatment is still pretty personal and you know there was considerable thought that went into the process – it wasn’t just dipped in baths in a factory in the middle of nowhere in Southeast Asia – plus there’s still plenty of personalization that’ll come as you start to wear it for yourself.
