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By Charlotte Stoudt
STIR talks to designer "denim nerds" Matt and Carrie Eddmenson about how they elevate — and deconstruct — America's wardrobe staple.
If anyone knows about indigo, it's designers Matt and Carrie Eddmenson. The couple has consulted at almost every major denim brand, including Ralph Lauren, Ernest Sewn, J Brand, Levi's, Paper Denim & Cloth and Salt Works. So when they set out to design their own jeans, they were determined to offer something different. In just five years, their Nashville-based company,
imogene + willie, has become a cult hit, with their signature dark washes worn by everyone from ranch hands to Gwyneth Paltrow. We sat down with Matt and Carrie to get the skinny on blue jeans.
STIR: Jeans are ubiquitous; it's hard to even "see" them. Give us a crash course.
ME: Denim is a fabric in which one thread goes left [when woven] and another goes right. One thread is white and the other is dyed with indigo. Over time, that dye leaves the thread, and it gets lighter and lighter. It develops a patina with age. No other fabric does what denim does. Only leather is similar — leather takes 20 years before it has a great look.
STIR: What makes imogene + willie jeans unique?
ME: We create an experience. We're going to tailor these jeans to fit you. We want you to wear the heck out of them. It's an art project — why not wear a pair of jeans where all the folds and creases reflect your own history? It's you. It's a timeline of your life. I love things that show age. When I buy a new car, I throw a rock at it. I get that idea of "perfect" right out of the way.
STIR: Your washes are extremely dark.
ME: Our jeans are dark because we encourage long-lasting wear. Anytime you wash a jean, you break the fabric down. The indigo is leaving the fabric.
STIR: How do you decide which shade of indigo is the right one?
CE: Well, Matt and I each have our own preferences — but even those preferences shift and change. For imogene + willie, our entire rainbow is blue. And I feel like we can use all of it.
ME: It's like choosing a paint color. There's no color that's "better" — there are just characteristics you lean toward. Our men's jeans are redcast. Our women's jeans have more of a greenish cast. We overdye our black denim to give that rock star, skinny-jean look. That denim has more yellow, because of the yellow in black. Denim nerds like us sit around wondering how we can re-create the high-contrast look of old Levi's, worn by working men who didn't wash their jeans all the time. Redcast denim, after it's been worn, develops a brilliant optic blue. It has distinct patterns, depending on how you move, where the fabric has wrinkled up and worn smooth. If you wait every three months to clean your jeans, those light places stay light, and the dark places stay dark.
STIR: Your showroom was a gas station in the ‘50s. How did you make it your own?
ME: We didn't renovate the space much, but we painted the walls and ceiling using Sherwin-Williams Black Fox (SW 7020), which has a dark leather, dark mulch feel. We liked the color so much we used it in our bathrooms and warehouse.
See more with Matt and Carrie. Watch our video to see our visit to the imogene + willie store.
