The first of four forthcoming collaborative pieces with the LA-based knitwear company run by Jarod Lee and Philadelphia skate legend Jimmy Gorecki, the Indigo Dabu Hoodie combines some of the most unique manufacturing processes we've discovered from around the world.

Beginning in Los Angeles, twenty-four ounce American ring spun cotton is cut and sewn into what we feel is the perfect sweatshirt, then sanforized for a consistent fit.  

These garments are then sent to the Indian village of Kaladera to be indigo-dyed in the traditional Dabu mud-resist technique.  For this process, the whole exterior of the garment is covered in a clay, tree gum, wheat and lime paste then fixed with saw dust.  Once hardened, it is crumpled and cracked and then dipped into a roadside indigo vat and left to dry in the sun.  Each sweatshirt is then washed to remove the mud and reveal an ecru and indigo marbled fabric that resembles crashing waves.  

After the dye process, artisans in the nearby city of Jaipur hand embroider and apply vintage indigo batik patches hailing from the Black Hmong tribe of Northern Vietnam.  Finally, the sweatshirts head back to our studio in New York, where each one is hand stamped in the inside neck with our Bhuti, as well as their size and edition number of twenty five.

The Indigo Dabu Hoodie can be purchased here.

Photography by Glen Allsop.