Goodbye, ROY

It is with a heavy heart that we report that Roy Slaper, the man behind ROY has sold his trusty machines. Historically a man of few words, his rather cryptic Instagram post suggests that this is, in fact, the end for his much-adored brand.

Roy had been selling jeans made all on his lonesome since 2010 and gained renown for his incredible handiwork and devotion to his craft. He had the distinction of being one of very few people to have special collaborative denims manufactured at the Cone Mills White Oak plant. His blackseed denim remains one of the most sought-after denims in the wide world of raw denim. But a piece is not made of fabric alone and Roy’s construction, on his collection of vintage machines, was second to none. In my time at Self Edge, I encountered many and even bought one pair of Roy’s jeans.

Even in a niche full of well-made garments, Roy’s jeans always rose above. Though his products were sturdy and looked better with more and more wear, it felt a shame to slowly degrade what was really a work of art. Those of us who had the good fortune of snagging a pair of his jeans will most surely treasure them and those who didn’t are going to have to spend an arm and a leg on Grailed to get them now.

Roy Slaper made an incredible impact on the raw denim niche and his status as a one-man-brand always elevated his craft to a legendary place in its pantheon. An incredible craftsman and artist, we wish him well in his future endeavors and promise to cherish his product and the optimism and creativity with which it was imbued.