Vidalia Mills collaborates with Imogene+Willie

04 Feb '20

2 min read

Pic: Imogene+Willie

The new North American textile maker, Vidalia Mills, has joined hands with Imogene+Willie as its first customer of its premium selvedge denim. Vidalia had recently acquired 45 antique Draper X3 selvedge denim looms. Imogene + Willie will be the first to make jeans/garments in the US from fabric loomed on Vidalia’s newly revived historic machines.

Vidalia had acquired 45 antique Draper X3 selvedge denim looms from a demolition company in Greensboro, NC. A lifestyle brand and advocate of Made in America clothing, Imogene+Willie is a leading maker of premium denim, with a flagship store in Nashville.

Dan Feibus, CEO of Vidalia Mills, explained, “We are so excited to welcome Imogene+Willie and their talented team into the Vidalia family as our first selvedge denim customer. As a premier maker and retailer of premium denim jeans and other apparel, Imogene+Willie is well positioned to maximise the inherent qualities of the denim produced from our Draper looms.”

Feibus added, “Our relationship with Imogene+Willie is more than just that of a supplier and customer, it’s really a partnership where the creativity of Imogene+Willie can maximise the value of our selvedge denim. We are truly honoured to have Imogene+Willie as our launch partner.”

K P McNeill, CEO of Imogene+Willie, underscored the significance of the relationship with Vidalia, stating, “Vidalia’s decision and commitment to bring premium denim manufacturing back to the United States is a historic event, one that aligns directly with our core values. As we have watched more and more companies move overseas to make their clothes cheaper and faster, we have remained steadfast and stubbornly committed to making all of our goods here in America.”

McNeill said, “We are humbled to have the opportunity to partner with Vidalia, and for our jeans to be sewn from the first selvedge fabric off of these legendary looms. It is our belief that Vidalia’s massive undertaking will ignite the resurgence of the Made in America movement, an act that will unite like-minded brands and consumers alike.”

Vidalia denim only uses e3 sustainable cotton exclusively in its operations, the first such operation in the world. Its cotton is sourced from across the US farm belt from farmers enrolled in the e3 sustainable cotton programme. Vidalia claims to offer its customers complete transparency of leading grower sustainability practices.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SV)

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