If you think of American style, particularly west coast style, the first and most notable thing that comes to mind is denim. Indigo blue masculine jeans.
There are so many types of jeans out there, so many 'Originals' and so many manufacturers…
Whats the best? What should you be looking for? Easy answer my friends: a pair from a company called, Tellason.
They are made from great fabric ( the most important) great cut ( equally important) and a great company! but the really good news is that for what i would consider the 'Maserati' of denim, the price is only $198.
If you have been shopping around for a real good pair of raw selvedge denim you know this is a GREAT PRICE. I can tell you- you get more than your moneys worth.
Just before i left San Francisco i had the pleasure of sitting down with Tony Patella & Pete Searson from Tellason ( yup, last names mashup makes Tellason) right next to their factory in the heart of San Francisco. Where denim ( or at least jeans as we know them today) was born.
Talking about denim and its place in a mans wardrobe. Tony defines for me some basic basic terms when it comes to denim: 'Raw Denim' for example, is denim that has been dyed but has not been washed after that process. When you buy a pair, the fabric has not soaked up a single drop of water and the "extra" dye has not been washed away. If you google 'denim pollution' you will see jeans factories in Asia polluting the rivers with chemicals and dye. Not only is this disastrous to the environment, but its not necessary for a really good pair of jeans Tony explains.
What makes a good pair of jeans is how it fits the person who is wearing it. By not washing it you are allowing the fabric to mold to you and your life style: Where you put your wallet, where you wipe you hands, Pete points this out as the Barista at the coffee shop where we are sitting wipes his hands on his apron and denim after making every cup of coffee. We are sitting at Blue bottle coffee in Mint Plaza a few doors down from the Tellason factory. Incidentally the best coffee on the west coast FYI)) how you sit and walk. All those affect how the fabric and the dye in it reacts, how it moves. after wearing it for a while raw denim become YOUR denim!
To get the best effect its suggested to wash raw denim as infrequent as possible. After you wear it for a while (a year or until its unbearably smelly which ever comes first) once you do wash it (cold water, black woolite. soak for an hour rinse and dry flat) it will gain the most beautiful color and patina. a deep indigo blue (like those vintage jeans) with marks of your lifestyle..
I asked Pete: Whats the difference between these and a pair of jeans at the gap for $39? We do everything ourselves he tells me (his indigo stained fingers speak volumes by themselves). We get the best fabric from Cone Mills in south carolina (where Levis get their denim) and we do everything right here in San Francisco, where jeans come from. right in the heart of the city. We want to create a really great pair of denim that you can wear for years. We also want to make sure that the price point if affordable and reasonable and that the style is timeless masculine and classic"
Pete is right, Indeed, the pair i have (now for over 6 months) is the best pair i own, and if you know me you know i own many. You see, if you always want the best, ( lets say you wont settle for less.. Mr luxury car driving, Rolex wearing, mansion living man…or even if you are just an average man who wants a great pair) Tellason is what you want.
Look for it (their stockists are listed at www.tellason.com ) its worth it!
PS. a.Selvedge means that the fiber of the denim is long and wont fray at the end. its a better kind of fabric - thanks Tony :)
b. The name Denim comes from the name of a French town. In French de means of, denim mean of Nîmes. The original fabric is a cotton twill in which the weft is woven under under two or more warp threads. This produces the diagonal ribbing on the reverse side of the fabric ( the " white" side…) which distinguishes denim from cotton duck also know as canvas… Denim has been used in American since the late 18th century. Some say that the name 'Jeans' comes from the names in french for the Italian town of Genoa were pants were made of denim..
