Glorifying the Vintage Motorcycle Mystique

First-time trade-show exhibitor Glory Utility set up a booth—complete with a vintage motorcycle—at the California Market Center during Los Angeles Market Week.

The prop not only set the tone for the American-made line of classic jeans and Tshirts but also helped to illustrate some of the finer points of the jeans’ fit, according to partner Gregory Westbrook.

The jeans were designed with a higher rise and an engineered inseam to make them more comfortable when the wearer rides a motorcycle.

“We’re cutting the jeans like they used to be made,” said Westbrook, explaining that the waistline is lower than a traditional Levi’s jean but higher than the current contemporary lowrise styles. “They don’t sit really low on the waist and they don’t have crazy washes.”

Glory Utility launched its wholesale line in February. The company also has a retail store in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles. Westbrook’s business partner, Justin Kell, owns Glory, the company’s retail store.

Westbrook described the clothing as “the vintage bike look,” explaining that he and Kell wanted to make “the clothes we like to wear.”

The men’s and women’s collections include two denim styles: the 1955 selvage jean and the double-nickel boot-cut jean. The jeans have dark rinses, button-fly fronts and hidden rivets on the back pockets. The company added a green bartack stitching to the jeans as its signature detail.

The line also includes silk-screen T-shirts in men’s and women’s styles, hats, belts and sweaters. Westbrook described the fit of the men’s T-shirts as a “pre-1973 fit,” which is neither oversized nor tight. Glory Utility sweaters, which the company designed to fit under leather motorcycle jackets, have extended cuffs and hems.

Wholesale price points range from $60 to $70 for jeans, $90 to $140 for sweaters and $30 to $45 for belts. T-shirts are $12.

For more information about Glory Utility and the Glory store, call (323) 644-5679.