TEN GLORIOUS YEARS . . . ALWAYS FOR THE ADVENTURE
When we first brought Battenwear to life on a Manhattan Garment District sewing table, we had no idea what the next ten years would have in store for us.
At the time, all we really wanted was to make a collection of gear and clothing that we wanted to wear: items rooted in our closetful of vintage American outdoor- and sports-wear but reimagined so that they would work equally well on the city streets.
We set out to create clothing that we would look forward to pulling out of seasonal storage each year, that got better with each wash and wear, that could be passed on to our kids in the distant future, when they would be looking for a good jacket to take to college.
Of course, this was no small dream. For our season debut, all we had was a rack of tees, anoraks, trunks, and flowered shorts.
We sat in our tiny rented showroom on 7th at 36th, taking pictures of our fresh-off-the-table little collection and sending them out to buyers and media. We enclosed a short story about Tom on the subway back from surfing in Rockaway deciding to stop by Brooklyn for the rest of the weekend. It felt like it was a long shot, that first season, but dreams should not be small.
As luck would have it, soon after that first season, it became clear that other people were looking for the same type of clothes and gear we wanted to make. And that’s how, best of all, we got to meet you!
You probably know this already but it turns out that there are a lot of people like us out there all across the world, in different fields and age groups and nationalities. People who are good clothing-literate. People who remember the anoraks and parkas they wore back in the day like they were old friends instead of just jackets. People who get excited about good seams and clever pockets and the history of sleeve types and the subtle magic of pleats and gussets. People who prefer clothing that gets better with each wash and wear and who love breaking in their own patina of use.
Knowing that there were so many likeminded and likedressed people out there in the world, no matter where they lived and what they looked like, was the best motivation we could ever have hoped for our first decade of Battenwear.
It has been such a pleasure to meet you at events and in stores, by email and message. And for those of you who don’t fancy reaching out to perfect strangers to talk about clothing, please know we’ve met you through your repeated purchases—choosing items from our collections that we also love best.
And now, as we prepare to tackle the second decade of Battenwear, we are so glad that you are here with us for the ride.
Thanks for asking questions about what we make and telling us about how you use it. Thanks for sending us pictures of you wearing Battenwear items on your interesting adventures. Thanks for collecting Battenwear pieces over the years like you would a genre of records. Thanks for wearing Battenwear as you cook and create art and hang out with friends.
Thank you.
