Los Angeles’ Railcar Fine Goods is one of the rarefied few brands that still make it all in-house. Fabric comes into their production and retail space in El Monte, and jeans, jackets, shirts, and more come out. This process is something Railcar has gotten down to a science over the last 15 years, giving them space to expand and open a more exclusive label – Railcar Black.
Named after the black, century-old sewing machines it’s made on, Railcar Black is launching with a unisex straight fit jean, the Lot 001, and the Invader Type I jacket. Both are made from a deadstock 12 oz. Cone Mills White Oak indigo selvedge denim and feature vintage details like a buckleback cinch, a single-piece waistband, and knife pleats on the jacket. The jean pattern is a spin on a 1930s pair of Levi’s, but by no means is it a reproduction.
The construction is where Railcar Black really shines. Railcar founder Steven Dang had wanted to create a vintage-made line since starting the brand in 2010, but it wasn’t until a few months ago that he had all the machines up and running for service. Throughout his time in the denim business, Steven has bought up any older sewing machines he could get his hands on, particularly those painted black, which typically means they’re from the 1930s or earlier.
No one services these older machines anymore, so Steven had to collect multiples of each to find the spare parts to get them going. Some of the rarer pieces used on Railcar Black include the main workhorse of a Singer straight-stitch machine, a wider stitch Singer bartack, and the rarest of all, a Union Special triple-chainstitch flat fell machine. Everything is done the hard way on Railcar’s Black line; they often use two parallel single-stitch lines rather than a double-needle machine.
Everything is made to order, so get your spot in line quickly. The production area is right in the back of Railcar’s retail space, so if you’re in the LA area, you might be lucky enough to see Steven make your new jeans and jacket.
View more at Railcar Fine Goods.
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