Steel Forge Denim

New this season, our Steel Forge Denim blends 92% organic cotton with 8% Dyneema, a synthetic fiber that’s exceptionally strong but so light that it floats on water. Used in anchor cables, crane slings, and tow ropes, it lends a traditional workhorse fabric greater durability without becoming too stiff for everyday wear.

For decades, we’ve been making our own blue jeans using only organic cotton and reducing the amount of water consumed, and CO 2 emitted, in the production process. But it wasn’t until we started experimenting with Dyneema that we began to see denim as able to handle high-​abrasion set tings. We came by our bias honestly: As a company that’s long made clothes for rock climbers, we’ve seen jeans wrecked in one afternoon on rough stone.

When we got Dyneema fabric on the cutting tables, however, our attitude changed. Our designers kept dulling their shears as they built the initial prototypes, and our usual cutter blades couldn’t cut the fabric at all—something that hadn’t happened with any other material that had come through our doors. We matched the strength of the fabric with equally burly stitching, and the resulting pants and jackets proved just as strong in the field as they had in the Forge, our R&D lab in Ventura, California.

Materials:

92% Organic Cotton

Supports biodiversity and often uses less water than conventional cotton

8% Dyneema

Lightweight fiber that more than doubles the fabric's tear strength

Steel Forge Denim Jacket

Unlined denim work coat with exceptional strength for the heaviest and most abrasive tasks in the shop or out on the floor

The first line of our mission statement is “Build the best product.” And if we can accomplish that close to home, it’s all the better. Our Steel Forge Denim is made with Texas-grown organic cotton, and we had the fabric milled at the legendary Cone Denim White Oak plant in North Carolina—some of White Oak’s last, in fact, before it shut down. The final cutting and sewing is done at a small, family-run factory in California. Made in the USA with imported parts.

Men’s Steel Forge Denim Jacket: $199.00 | 27850 | XS-3XL Relaxed fit | 1,021 g (36 oz)

Product Details

1) Button front: Full-length front pocket with traditional metal shank buttons

2) Bi-swing back: Has pleats behind the shoulder blades for freedom of movement when working with the arms extended

3) Chest pockets: Left has drop-in entry; right has button closure for security

4) Cargo pockets: Are amply sized for extra carrying capacity

5) Handwarmer pockets: Are hidden behind the cargo pockets and accessed from the side

6) Double-button cuffs and waist: Offer easy adjustability over bulky layers

Steel Forge Denim Pants

Our Steel Forge Denim proves you don’t need to go overseas—or use toxic chemicals—to make a great pair of jeans. Whereas most jeans rely on refined petroleum derivatives to create synthetic dyes, we use a natural indigo produced by Stony Creek Colors in Tennessee. The indigo comes from farmers who once grew tobacco and helps them keep their land in production. The crop requires no chemical pest control, is irrigated by rainwater, restores the soil and provides food for honeybees in the fall when little wild forage is available. Made in the USA with imported parts.

Men’s Steel Forge Denim Pants: $159.00 | 56120 I 28-44/even + 31, 33 | Relaxed fit | 907 g (32 oz)available in short, regular and long

Product Details

1) Contoured waistband: Sits comfortably under tool belt and has seven belt loops for increased strength

2) Gusseted crotch: For more range of motion when climbing stairs or working with one knee dropped

3) Hammer loop: Sturdy utility loop on the left hip keeps your most-used tool at the ready

4) Drop-in pockets: Two front pockets, two back patch pockets, and two large utility pockets on legs

5) Doubled knees: The large double- fabric knee patches accommodate knee pads; bottom openings allow easy cleanout

Bodie Johansson leans into it with the circular saw. Handcrafted Log & Timber, Ridgeway, Colorado.

Blake Gordon