Shockoe Denim, a locally owned denim company bringing tailoring and craftsmanship to jeans, has just celebrated two years of being in business. To commemorate the occasion, and to remind us of how much they love Richmond, Shockoe Denim will be releasing an exceptional line of jeans called Petersburg Deadstock I, which will only be sold locally to show their appreciation to the city.
Shockoe Denim, a locally owned denim company bringing tailoring and craftsmanship to jeans, has just celebrated two years of being in business. To commemorate the occasion, and to remind us of how much they love Richmond, Shockoe Denim will be releasing an exceptional line of jeans called Petersburg Deadstock I, which will only be sold locally to show their appreciation to the city.
Based in Shockoe Bottom, the company has a strong background in finely crafted clothing going back generations. Founder and designer Anthony Lupesco has an extensive background working with fine craftsmanship in clothing production. Lupesco learned the particulars of crafting fine denim from his father, who spent 50 years working for the world’s best luxury suiting brands. When Shockoe Denim opened, Lupesco’s father was temporarily brought out of retirement to ensure the quality of Shockoe Denim’s designs. Because of this apprenticeship, Lupesco has been able to bring a level of tailoring and fine design that wasn’t there before.
Matt Rho, one of the owners partnered with Lupesco, spoke about what it was like in the beginnings of Shockoe Denim. “They basically cranked out jeans for about a year and a half, just trying to get that stitch right, get all the details right.” After a year and a half, Shockoe Denim was able to hold up an example of jeans that they were proud of.
The Petersburg Deadstock I line that was released earlier this month has peculiar origins. A chance encounter involving a Craigslist ad and an abandoned factory in Petersburg resulted in the discovery of rolls and rolls of deadstock denim. Though most of the denim was nothing to write home about, buried within the piles of denim, the Shockoe Denim team discovered a roll of pristine 1971 Cone Mills denim that hadn’t been touched in fifty years. For those of us unfamiliar with the particulars of modern jean mills, Cone Mills is the last remaining American manufacturer of high quality denim. “It really was like discovering some hidden pot of gold,” says Rho.
Due to the small size of this role, only 50 pairs of jeans could be made. These jeans are now being sold exclusively to Richmonders. “Because it’s a local thing-—we found it in Petersburg—-we wanted to make a very local jean that we sold only locally. It’s really just for Richmond, we’re only selling it out of our store,” says Rho.
Though this line of denim will be kept local, the company will likely begin to spread to a national level. Rho discussed expanding from Richmond to open locations nationally, while simultaneously adding items to their stock. “The other area of expansion we’re working on right now is expanding beyond jeans to a full menswear line so like sports coats, outerwear, shirts. We’re trying to get all that ready to show for January 2015,” says Rho.
Though the Petersburg Deadstock I line was released on October 9th, they are not completely sold out. A dozen or so pairs are still on the market, though sizes are limited. Check and see if they still have a pair in your size by heading over to Shockoe Denim’s store and workshop, located at 13A S. 15th St in Shockoe Slip.
