Handwoven Denim Jacket

I made the first known fully handwoven denim jacket in the U.S. since at least the 1700s! 🤯

When I set out to weave denim by hand, I had no idea this would be the result. My intention was to recreate handwoven denim as it was made in 1700s/1800s America.

No joke—after speaking with the first historian on my list and hearing them say they didn’t know of anyone who had done this, I was sick to my stomach for 24 hours. As I got closer to my event, I started hearing back from more experts in the denim industry and denim history field—including a former Cone Denim specialist—and they confirmed that no known record exists of a handwoven, fully warp-faced denim jacket being made in the U.S. since pre-industrialization. 😵‍💫

This jacket revives a lost American textile tradition. A tradition that invented denim as we know it today.

This project isn’t just about making a jacket anymore. It’s about reclaiming and reviving a part of American textile heritage that was nearly lost. 🔥💪🏽❤️

I know a few folks will be jumping in here with the theories of Nîmes and Genoa. I have extensively researched the history of denim without using Google or Wikipedia. My research is based on countless papers, textile manuals, and interviews with historians.There is no evidence of denim being woven anywhere in the world before the late 1700s in the U.S.