The Desert and Denim Tradeshow: Part II

Yesterday we introduced the new Desert and Denim tradeshow put on by Juniper Ridge in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Today we’re diving into the offerings from a few of the brands that came in from all over the world.

For Holding up the Trousers

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We first met For Holding up the Trousers and founder Morten Kristensen at New York’s market week last winter. Since then, the protege of Tender Co’s William Kroll has expanded his line from the signature suspenders and belts into bags and wallets. He still makes everything in house in his home town of Copenhagen and plans on more American stockists in the near future.

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Indigofera

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Also in from Scandinavia were Kari Salmela and Mats Andersson of Indigofera. The Swedish brand has been growing steadily in Europe since the late 2000s, but has yet to find a foothold in North America outside of a few retailers. I don’t really understand why, their motorcycle and late-50s workwear inspired line just gets stronger every season. Since we last saw them at Capsule in 2013, Mats and Kari have brought in more interesting fabrics like hank-dyed and left hand twill denims, waxed oxford cloth, and lots of leather.

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Peg and Awl

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Peg & Awl came in from Philadelphia with their line of up cycled canvas and leather carry goods.

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Rivi Goods

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George Wilson of Rivi Goods has been in the production side of the denim business for over 20 years. He owns a factory in Los Angeles that has produced jeans for many of our favorite brands but only recently decided to start his own line. He’s sourcing fabrics from all over Japan with a variety of designs.

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Wood & Faulk

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Portland’s Wood & Faulk has expanded their line of smaller leather accessories into waxed canvas bags and carry goods.

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Tellason

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Tellason’s Tony Patella

Tellason, one of the bigger denim names in attendance, had several new pieces out for this fall. One of their biggest announcements was a new women’s fit designed specifically for the Japanese market. Not only are these jeans made for Japan but also made in Japan, which only makes sense to Tellason as they would have to pay customs twice on what’s already a Japanese fabric.

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On the men’s side, they’ve got both jackets and jeans in a natural and grey bedford cord, white selvedge denim from Italy, and Cramerton twill chinos.

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Rooktown

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Rounding out the Scandinavian contingent was Rooktown, an up-cycling brand out of Malmo, Sweden. They scour Northern Europe for the best in vintage military and workwear. Some pieces they scrap for material and repurpose, others they barely touch.

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Too Strong

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Too Strong is a denim brand that’s been in the works in Tucson, Arizona for the past couple of years. Founders Rob Easter and Smith Darby have been producing bags and leather accessories since 2013, and have just finished their first production run of jeans. It’s a 15oz. denim from Cone Mills with a slim straight fit, lined yoke and back pockets, and a slight western curve on the front pockets. They are available for purchase now.

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Jack/Knife

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Flynn and John Alburl have also just finished their first production run of jeans with their company Jack/Knife Outfitters. Jack/Knife began making custom jean-makers in San Francisco three years ago and have decided to expand their reach and their first jean is a doozy.

No effort has been spared to make them the most durable pair of pants possible–every stitch is single needle and lock-stitched, there are no exposed seams or overlocks on the entire jean–everything is either felled or taped, the rivets are leather backed, and every pocket is lined in 12oz. duck canvas.

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They had a few of their in house jeans on display including this pair that a friend wore while he was staying with Arctic Inuits. The knee blew out, and without a darning machine for miles, the locals patched his jeans with a piece of sealskin–definitely a first.

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They also have a few other sample pieces ready to enter production, like this indigo-dyed utility shirt.

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Otter Wax

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Chris Chase began Otter Wax with a couple dozen bars of wax he cooked up on his apartment stove in Portland, Oregon. Five years later, and he’s shipping thousands of bars of the stuff all over the world. If you’re looking to wax down a pair of jeans or just touch up the seams on your Barbour, there’s really nothing better.

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Chris had bars out to test and John of Jack/Knife took the opportunity to put a coat on a pair of his jeans.

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Chris also demonstrated the water-resisting ability of his Jack/Knife chore coat after three coats of wax.

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Thanks again to our hosts at Juniper Ridge, looking forward to next year’s Desert and Denim event!