The West Is Dead: Menswear With a Mission
Premium-denim menswear line The West Is Dead is more than West Coast–based. The West is its mission.
The founders of the newly launched company, Kaelen McCrane and Will Cheng, want to use their collection as a platform to raise awareness as well as funds to preserve the American Wild West. The designers met in Montana and currently divide their time between Montana, Utah and Southern California, where The West Is Dead is produced.
McCrane and Cheng wanted to create a clothing line that paid homage to the American West. While researching the history of the Old West, McCrane learned about the 19th century buffalo hunts, which reduced the population of the American bison from more than 60 million to about 1,000 in less than a century. That sobering statistic prompted the designer to pledge to donate a percentage of profits to organizations that help preserve the Western environment. McCrane and Cheng are currently working with the Inter-Tribal Buffalo Council, a coalition of Native American tribes united to reintroduce bison to tribal lands.
The collection is a contemporary take on classic workwear. The rugged-yet-tailored separates are packed with subtle details. For example, jeans are made with raw and selvage Italian and Japanese denim in slim fits and a dropped “work rise” fit and a wide range of washes and tints. The jeans feature branded trim, copper funnel shanks, stamped donut rivets, a triple-stitched yoke, striped canvas pocket liners and taped interior seams.
Other pieces in the collection include a chino pant made from 10-ounce duck twill, a classic crew-neck sweatshirt made from heavy-slub French terry in a herringbone pattern, five-button henleys and pocket tees. The collection also includes chambray shirts in 5-ounce and 7-ounce weights with vintage buttons, hidden button-down collars and a half-hidden chest pocket.
There’s also a “Barn Coat” with a tailored fit that comes in two washes—a dry-aged wash and a vintage wash.
The “Western Denim Jacket” features a slightly longer length and comes in a dry-aged, stonewashed 12.5-ounce Japanese denim. Both coats are lined in lightweight striped canvas. Wholesale prices range from $15 for the crew-neck shirt to $155 for denim.
For more information, call (619)240-5438, e-mail kaelen@thewestisdead.com or visit www.thewestisdeadcom.—Alison A. Nieder
