Occasionally we come across a brand whose story is just as compelling as
the clothing they produce. One of our newest brands, The West Is Dead, is the
perfect example of that.
The Story
The company was started in Montana by two friends Kaelen McCrane and Will Cheng. Both
having an admiration for American heritage and a desire to revive the dwindling
tradition of craftsmanship, they teamed up and started The West Is Dead.
Knowing they wanted to produce everything in the United States, they emptied their
savings and headed west for Los Angeles. Since neither had experience in
manufacturing or the fashion industry (with the exception of an outdoor
retailer both used to work at), they relied solely on ambition
and perseverance to get the line out there. After showing at their first
trade show they received stellar feed back and moved forward with the line. Today, McCrane and Cheng have kept the company small in order to serve
high-quality, hand made clothing to their customers making sure every detail is
just right.
The Clothing
Each piece is hand made in LA using high quality, raw materials with an emphasis on structure, function, style, and quality.
Each piece is hand made in LA using high quality, raw materials with an emphasis on structure, function, style, and quality.
Partnerships
Besides from making beautifully constructed garments in the US, another
big goal of the brand is to collaborate with different foundations to help
preserve and protect the American West. For their first partnership, they
teamed up with the Intertribal Buffalo Foundation.
The Intertribal Buffalo Council (ITBC) is a non-profit organization comprised of
57 American Indian nations and 15,000+ head of buffalo. The mission of ITBC is
to coordinate and assist American Indian tribes in helping return the buffalo
to their native land.
So as you can see, we are extremely excited The
West Is Dead is now available at the lounge!
(Photos courtesy of thewestisdead.com)