Niche Report - imogene + willie

Eleanor Wilkinson Niche Report

Back in 2009, at 3 o’clock in the morning, Matt and Carrie Eddmenson sat at their kitchen table in Henderson and pressed send to the email telling everyone they knew about their dream of imogene + willie. imogene + willie is a high end denim brand from Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 2009, the company produces menswear and womenswear, selling both online and in their two stores in Nashville and Portland. Like many emerging brands, the duo launched imogene + willie with an online campaign. Denim is a highly competitive market, yet imogene + willie have made their mark on the sector with a truly authentic and interesting brand. Named ‘music city’, Nashville is an ideal place to base a denim clothing company in.

The company states their ethos as something that they knew they wanted from the start: “we wanted to make something that would last. we wanted to make things in the usa. we wanted to create a space to share. we wanted to build community. it started with the desire to make what we couldn’t find. a perfectly fitting jean... or perhaps more precisely: to make perfect jeans for our imperfect bodies.”

These values create a purpose for their brand bigger than just making money, they wanted imogene + willie to be more than just a job, they wanted to create a lifestyle. The community feel imogene + willie sought after within their shops, is based around the philosophy that the people who walk through their doors are not customers - they are their friends, their family, their neighbours...their loved ones.

The website overall has a very personal impression, telling the full story of how imogene + willie came to be – written from Carrie Eddmenson’s point of view. It has lots of relative quotes throughout such as “everything you can imagine is real” from Picasso, “I want to die with my blue jeans on” from Andy Warhol, and Bob Dylan’s famous quote “be groovy or leave, man.” These quotes offer the customer an insight into the mind frame of imogene + willie’s creators, bringing them closer to the story.

Carrie recalls a significant moment in the summer of 2008, whilst the duo was staying at a hotel in San Jose for a friend’s wedding.

Matt and Carrie were inspired by unforgettable people, colours, textures and smells. Describing the trip as a ‘sensory overload’ and subsequently realising that they would one day create something together.

The brand launched with two inaugural jean fits, imogene for women and willie for men. The names are of Carrie’s maternal grandparents. Their first women’s jean came from a desire for a truly flattering cut that would “encourage the acceptance and celebration of a woman’s body.” It was a mid-rise with a stovepipe leg and slightly shifted back pocket. Their first men’s cut was inspired by an archive of vintage jeans with a modern aesthetic incorporated, a mid-rise straight leg constructed from rigid selvage denim. Matt and Carrie were set on the fact that they did not want to create ‘on-trend’ jeans, but jeans for real people.

In their Nashville store, they would size, fit and alter each pair to fit their customer’s needs. When demand for their products grew, they decided to expand their product range, creating jeans based on the most frequent requests. Thus came the imogene slim and a slimmer version of the men’s jean named after Carrie’s brother, Barton.

“every fit and every wash is the result of the people who have walked through our doors. imogene + willie will forever be shaped by the people around it.”

The cost of their jeans ranges from $195.00 - $325.00 for women, and $185.00 – $295.00 for men, both before tax. The high price point of their garments is due to the US manufacturing and high quality denim, one of which is selvedge denim woven on a shuttle loom from Cone Mills USA. It also enables the company to have niche extras for their customers. They do not offer fully custom jeans, however they do offer custom alterations and inseams on all jeans purchased in their stores. The staff within their Nashville and Portland stores are trained to help customers find the best fit and can make minor adjustments if necessary. They also offer denim care advice and a denim repair scheme. Free repairs are available on all imogene + willie jeans that have been purchased online or from their Nashville and Portland stores for one year from the date of purchase. After the first year, charges for time and materials apply. Repairs on rivets, loose threads, and buttons are complimentary for the life of the jean. This type of service shows that imogene + willie is confident in the quality of their products, and care about their afterlife with the consumer. Repairs and alterations also means that customers have to come back to the store. They can browse whilst waiting for their jeans to be finished and possibly purchase something else.

The workshop area of their stores where employees alter and repair jeans is visible to visiting customers. This kind of layout is effective in making clienteles feel like they are a part of their jeans journey, as well as the company seeming more honest and open about their methods. It is a unique concept and will make the customer think that they are paying for an exclusive and high-end garment.

Located in what used to be the Granny White Service Station in Nashville, imogene + willie’s flagship store opened in the summer of 2009. The plus sign/cross appears to be a symbol in both their logo and throughout the décor within the store. A red cross has connotations surrounding first aid, protecting life and health.

It is the emblem of the armed forces medical services, a symbol of neutral protection in wartime with no religious or political significance. Their store is rustic and retro looking, with a blend of vintage Americana and homely décor. The old jean blocks hanging from the ceiling create the impression that the products have been crafted and developed with hard work behind them.

Customer reviews can be found on yelp.com. Out of 71 reviews, the Nashville store has an overall 4-star rating.

“Their denim is the best I've ever worn, and they are expanding out to additional cuts and articles.”

“The selection isn't huge but the goods they have are all high quality and the attention the staff gives is impeccable.”

“The patterns that hang above you as you take it all in against that pop of orange chandelier had this former designer gasping.”

As well as their two stores, imogene + willie have many stockists across America, in states such as California, New York and Washington. They also have stockists in Canada and Japan, as well as international shipping.

Although the company’s main focus is denim and jeans, imogene + willie have expanded to sell much more than this. Vintage t-shirts, jewellery and accessories, as well as homeware and even a motorcycle helmet.

This November 2016, the company are opening ‘imogene + willie: undisclosed’ in Los Angeles, California. This new retail space encompasses the core idea of their business, helping people to find a perfectly fitting pair of jeans that he or she will want to live in. This store offers personal, individual fittings or small group fittings by appointments made online. Levi’s also offer a similar service to this, called the Levi's® Tailor Shop. With flagship stores in Paris, London and Berlin, tailors in store will repair rips and holes or customise the jeans to meet the customer’s individual requests.

The company are true to their community values shown through supper + song. The semi-monthly event is held in imogene + willie’s Nashville backyard and is open to the public for free. Guests can bring a blanket, beverages and loved ones to enjoy a few hours of live music. “supper + song was never ours. it is and always will be yours.”

Previous artists include Dan Auerbach from the Black Keys, the Civil Wars and Karen Elson. The creation of supper + song gives their brand real heart and a genuine sense that they care about their customers and the community in which they operate in.

In 2012, several noise complaints from neighbours led the authorities to shut down the event. Carrie Eddmenson released this statement about its termination "We have received hundreds of emails and phone calls from people in the community and around the world showing appreciation and support for Supper + Song. Out of consideration for the concerned neighbours, we are not personally challenging the decision to end the series…” Carrie and Matt chose not to fight the ban out of respect for their surrounding neighbourhood. However, these supporters that Carrie mentioned, both inside and outside of Nashville rallied to get supper + song back. In 2014, after a nearly two year hiatus, the Metro Council passed an amendment loosening the restrictions on any “small outdoor music event."

In its triumphant return, supper + song played host to a packed house, showing imogene + willie’s loyal customer base and that they have successfully made themselves a part of the community as they wished to do so.

supper + song

Similarly, ‘love fades’ is a photography project that links imogene + willie directly with the customers buying and wearing their jeans. Joshua Black Wilkins took the series of photographs which depict people of all ages, genders, ethnicities and unique styles.

Joshua, willie rigid

Dale + Margaret Sights, willie natural + imogene This type of engagement with their consumers is a beautiful way of showing the connection that people have with their jeans, and how different styles of jeans can be worn in different ways to suit different personalities.

imogene + willie is consistent in their branding and tone of voice. This consistency is apparent through their ‘hiring’ page on their website.

Their tongue in cheek humour makes them appear friendly and fun to work with, as well as a company that does not take itself too seriously. The brand also only ever uses lower case lettering, even for people and place names and when a capital is needed after a full stop. This may be to make them appear more relaxed and less business-like.

On each product, there is a short passage informing the customer of the story behind the selected garment. For example, on the barton slim rigid: “Carrie's brother Bart is the inspiration for the barton, our second men's fit. Bart taught us everything we know about blue jeans, especially when it comes to fit.” This type of content connects to the emotional side of the customer, making the brand seem more authentic and trustworthy.

The brand is active on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo, Tumblr and Pinterest. Their Instagram is very strong, with clean, good quality images focusing on a white, grey and blue aesthetic. It effectively showcases their brand image. Their Facebook and Twitter profiles are shares of their Instagram posts but still have a fairly strong following. Videos about the brand story and tours of the Nashville store appear on YouTube and Vimeo.

Since their launch, imogene + willie have been selling the heritage style to musicians like Brooks and Dunn, Matt Wertz, and Kings of Leon. In 2010, they outfitted the cast of Gwyneth Paltrow’s movie ‘Love Don’t Let Me Down.’ The film was shot in Nashville and the star contributed to a new fit called ‘Hazel’, a lowrise jean with a slim fit. In the same year, imogene + willie debuted their first collaboration with J. Crew, in which a limited edition stock of men’s ‘Willie’ style jeans appeared on jcrew.com and in their New York stores. Imogen + willie have also been featured in the pages of GQ and The New York Times.

Starting from a simple love of denim, passed down to them through both of their families, Matt and Carrie Eddmenson have made imogene + willie into a high end, sought after brand. Their care labels read ‘made with love’, a statement that fully encompasses their community spirit and US born-and-raised business approach. The uniqueness of ‘Love Fades’ and ‘supper + song’ make imogene + willie an authentic brand who have remained true to their original ethos.

References:  https://imogeneandwillie.com/  https://www.yelp.com/biz/imogene-and-willie-nashville  http://www.logodesignlove.com/international-red-cross-logo-design  http://www.redcross.org.uk/About-us/Who-we-are/The-international-Movement/The-emblem  http://projectjust.com/brand_imogeneandwillie/  http://www.southernliving.com/travel/south-central/nashville-sightseeing-0/imogene-willie  http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/07/imogene-willie-charting-in-nashville/  http://thiscitysfull.com/Imogene-Willie-Supper-Song  http://www.nashvillescene.com/music/article/13054048/imogene-willies-supper-song-returnstonight-with-daniel-ellsworth-and-the-great-lakes-and-daniel-and-the-lion

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