Raleigh Denim

[grooveholmes]

They have a very close relationship with Cone Mills (proximity helps), and I think they were one of the first ones to start producing jeans using the indigo duck and black seed stuff. At least before they really started to gain some steam among denim geeks.

William Yan gave a nice glimpse of what they did at NYFW. They've really evolved into more than just "jeansmiths".

http://williamyan.com/blog/2013/2/7/nyfw-raleigh-aw13

[Noodle36]

Great link groove. Def very fashion forward.

[Noodle36]

I have wondered if their release of the Unsanforized special Jean lost some of its thunder when Roy brought out the Cone special and subsequent Royxcone fabric?

[grooveholmes]

Do you mean the RD contest jeans that never happened?

[Noodle36]

They were going to release an unsanforized Leviesque repro. I want to call it the 66 jean? Not sure if was going to be a contest jean or not.

[grooveholmes]

Yeah, that was it. That was 2010, when Roy was making the OG jeans, and before he started selling through SE. There's no relation there in terms of influence. Victor and Sarah were busy with their biggest client at the time: Barney's. In fact, I think what ultimately derailed it was the commissioning of a special jean for the 25th anniversary of the Co-Op, that limited edition black seed "silver" denim. I think after that they just moved on to the next season, making more jeans as their clientele increased, and as their interests shifted. Good for them, bummer for us.

Both Roy and Raleigh Denim really found success apart from each other in the age of the internet. As most of us know, Roy started out with a small, shitty website and a ton of passion for the craft. Everything else was word of mouth, building momentum through blogs and forums. RD took off via great marketing and exposure through retail channels. Anyone who's met Victor and Sarah can tell they love what they do-- add business savvy and the fact that they're really good people and it's no surprise they've achieved quite a bit of success.

I don't know if they'll ever have the time, or take the time to make/design a contest jean; but we all know it would be kick-ass. Last time I was at the Curatory, John Webb, the sales guru and "prospector" for RD, was sporting a custom-made pair with some nice, subtle stitching detail Victor had done for him. Should've taken a pic. Anyway, I'm sure they have that roll sitting around in the workshop somewhere...

Edited February 11, 2013 by grooveholmes

[Atlasfields]

I have to pair of Raleigh's I bought at the Philly Co-Op. Straight leg originals. Soaked the first pair after about 5 months of wear. Little to no fading. Now they fit even better then they did when I first bought 'em.

33" stretched to 34.5" and back to about 33" after the soak. Soon time to start the break-in on the second pair.

[exaptavist]

.

Edited October 10, 2015 by hoggreaser

[satchelbmoore]

Owner of BlackBlue's personal alexander work cut. sized down one. 5 months, one wash:

from the shop's instagram so it's slightly more contrasted than IRL.

[HoustonChris]

Came across this article about Raleigh:

 

http://www.coolhunting.com/style/raleigh-workshop-certified-organic-denim-project.php

 

Kinda cool.