April 28, 2005

Site Visit : Earnest Sewn & Cut

The Earnest Sewn & Cut is the store of the Earnest Sewn
brand found on Washington Street in NYC’s Meat Packing. The brand’s
mantra is ‘Tradition Noted, History Referenced, Homage Paid’ and you
can see that reflected in the store that looks more like a denim
sweatshop with it’s steam, sanding and cutting machines.

Brendan put down his cup of tea and told me that all the machinery in
the store was working and then told me about the concept of the brand
where they mix a traditional American work aesthetic with the Japanese
system/philosophy of Wabi-Sabi. Wabi-Sabi is the beauty of things
imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. He showed me the stitching which
he told me was uneven (although I couldn’t see it) and and he talked
about how Earnest Sewn took influence in how early Americans used to
make their own garments.

I commented about the contrast between the authentic feel of the store and the plastic monstrosity of the new Puma concept store
up the street. Brendan talked about how the values of the owners
affected everything the brand did and that manifested itslef in the way
the store looked and was run. How refreshing, I thought.

The store includes a cafe area and yes, I even saw some decks (well
your jeans might take over an hour to make on a good day). Yes, there’s
something a little lofty about the attitude of the store
when you walk in but when you consider the soul that’s put into the
items, you think it’s worth it.

In contrast, I was dismayed last week how out of touch the NY Times was when they published a
story that ran like ‘Shock: People buy jeans for over $200!’ The
American attitude towards fashion items like denim has been harmed by
the flooding of cheap denim into the market from dodgy Asian sources by
people like GAP - many Americans, I feel, can;t see the point of
spending more than $40 on an apparel item they probably wear more than
anything else. Earnest Sewn American made and crafted jeans start at
$170 and can be tailored and customized. I’ve always felt that many
people, especially Americans, are hesitant about customization of their
look - and Brendan told me that they too were surpirsed too about how
many folk came in and ordered their pairs customized. There’s now a 2
week waiting list for any pair of jeans.

In addition to the full jeans line, the store will stock the An
Earnest
Cut and Sew sportswear line in June,
and accessories from other vendors, including Carpe Diem shoes and
Holland & Holland bags. A 400-square-foot room in the back of the
store will serve as a seasonal boutique, where brands and retailers
will be invited to set up a temporary in-store shop.

Well worth checking out for inspiration and a new pair of slacks. And by the way, Brendan’s line ‘Noah’ was hanging up very proudly in the back there when I
visited.

Earnest Swen & Cut, Washington Street (c/o Gansevort), New York City

Earnest Sewn

Article categories: Design, Fashion, Retail