Born & Bred and Grown & Sewn
Every single stitch, button, thread and piece of fabric is Grown & Sewn in the United States of America. That was half of Rob Magness’s concept, to source everything domestically. The Ralph Lauren alum’s other idea was to combine denim fits with khaki cotton twill fabrics. The result are some very nice looking, wearable, washable goods.
I first heard about Rob’s collection at the second Pop Up Flea in November. A very nice young lady told me about their new store in TriBeCa, but it wasn’t until a few weeks ago in Las Vegas that I could meet the designer and see the collection. I’ll be honest, at first pass I wasn’t sold on everything (and there are a few pieces that are definitely not for me) but on the whole, the line is excellent. There are three fits to choose from, and just like with denim, there are varying wash options — everything from raw to distressed. (Note the top photo, distressed on the left, medium in the middle and raw on the right.)
In Vegas, Rob and I spoke about the difficultly he had in sourcing everything in the line. The fact of the matter is, while a lot of people know about how manufacturing has disappeared from the U.S., a compounding problem for the companies still doing production domestically is the fact that nearly all of the support and suppliers are also gone. So sourcing something completely domestic, as Rob did, takes five times longer than it would if you were making the goods overseas. Actually, I bet it takes ten times as long but that’s just my best guess. Maybe if Rob reads this he can weigh in.
In addition to the khaki pants, Grown & Sewn also just opened a retail store in TriBeCa at 184 Duane Street (probably my favorite street in Manhattan). The company has also produced a collection of accessories that includes a few really nice looking distressed leather belts and a khaki tote bag / wine carrier in collaboration with friends that own a winery. All in all, good values and good people. Grown & Sewn right here at home.
Source: A Continuous Lean
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