Cowboy Denim for Italian Mountaineers
Forget about three-layer engineered polyester or waterproof membrane-clad technical nylon: ROA and Wrangler are making weatherproof mountain gear out of good ol’ American denim.
From baseball caps down to double-kneed cargo pants, the surprise five-piece capsule collection is cut from Wrangler's washed dark brown denim.
The 78-year-old maker of hardwearing jeans started life outfitting cowboys in North Carolina and nowadays leans towards outfitting country music stars in affordable blue denim — in America, at least — but ROA is taking it to the Italian Alps.
Because only ROA could create a Canadian tuxedo worthy of wearing in the mountains.
The ROA x Wrangler denim jacket is a long way from a typical trucker jacket.
It's boxy fitting with cinch cords allowing its hem to be easily adjusted, for instance, and fitted with both numerous nifty pockets for stashing gear and elbow darts for ease of movement.
Metal rivets reinforce the seams of every item in the collection, both stabilizing the garms and referencing age-old denim history.
Denim is, of course, not be the most water-tight of materials, but that's partly what makes this collection so intriguing. It is instead, as ROA notes in its product notes, a “time-tested material” that thus looks quite uncanny in functional form.
More lightweight technical materials may rip and or demand repairs with wear — if it can be repaired at all — denim is famed for its durability and only looks better the more you wear it.
This unexpected partnership of heritage American denim and stylish Italian outdoor gear is available to shop now from both labels’ websites, prices ranging from $165 to $450.
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