Gaolhouse Denim - jeans made in Britain in collaboration with Prison Service

Gaolhouse Denim is the result of a fascinating 2012 collaboration to make jeans between Will Unwin and Her Majesty’s Royal Prison Service. [Sadly Gaolhouse has ceased business since this piece was written].

Inspired by a business model put into practice by his father, Will approached the prison service in 2011 with the idea of working with inmates to design and develop jeans to be manufactured in prison, where there are significant manufacturing resources. The idea was that this would create paid and rehabilitating jobs for the inmates and provide them skills and a work ethic.

Working very closely with inmates the first jeans style, known as the GH-001, was developed. After two years of work, however, there was a ministerial change of heart and the programme to manufacture the jeans within the prison service was cancelled. Not wanting to give up, Will was able to find a UK manufacturer in that could support the first production and help finish off the incredible job that had been started by inmates. 

Gaolhouse Denim is only one of a handful of companies that manufacture jeans on British soil, a vital part of Will’s vision. The raw denim is from North Carolina, USA. A contribution to charity is made from the proceeds of sale of each pair of jeans.

To buy a pair from the limited first run and to find out more, go to the Gaolhouse Denim website [link removed].

Remember raw denim does best from minimal washing. This pocket detail shows when first wash due.

A reader asks - where can I get good quality raw denim jeans?

A reader asks -

Firstly thanks for the blog, I enjoy following it and like to imagine myself in some of the more eccentric wear that is shown in your articles.

Distressed denims - good or bad?

I have a question, I have always liked dark jeans, having in my teenage years purchased 501 shrink to fit jeans by mail order when they had their brief resurgence during the mod revival. As I am now in my early fifties I still enjoy wearing jeans but seem to have an issue with sizing and style, as most jeans seem to be distressed or over elaborated with detail. I tend to fall back on next for jeans due to their short leg availability, but quality always seems to be an issue.

My question is do you have any advice and recommendations for good quality dark denim in sizes which flatter the shorter grey fox.
Regards
Rob

Grey Fox replies -

Hi Rob,

Many thanks for contacting me - you've anticipated a post I've been meaning to write for a while. I agree with you that there's too much artificial distressing. I too prefer natural dark blue 'raw' denim. As you know, that term simply refers to denim that has never been washed. 

The great thing about raw denim is that you can make your jeans your own. Depending on how you wear and wash them, they can become battered, faded and distressed naturally or, if you prefer and manage them right, they will stay reasonably dark in colour and provide more of a 'smart casual' look. The choice is yours. 

If you wear them for several months without washing them properly, they will acquire creases, wear and folds that reflect your use of them, even down to the marks on your pocket where you store your wallet or keys.

Image Hiut Denim

Choice will depend on budget. I avoid cheap jeans, not only for quality reasons, but to ensure that I'm buying something that has been sustainably made and not in a sweatshop somewhere. Look at Marks & Spencer who trade sustainably and have a good selection at fair prices. At the luxury end, you can buy UK-made raw denims from Hiut Denim. These are made in Cardigan in Wales, where an old jeans factory has been re-opened, reviving skills that would otherwise have disappeared.

My choice was The Jean Machine (remember that UK jeans chain from the seventies? It has been recently revived by the founder's daughter). I have two pairs of their raw (Japanese) denim jeans and am impressed - lovely denim, beautifully made and well-cut. As usual with good quality raw denim, the fabric is tough as old boots.

Raw denim jeans - image Jean Machine

These jeans are comfortable, though the denim will soften and mould to the wearer with use. I went for the JM2 straight raw - fairly slim so go for more relaxed if you don't want that - but plenty of fits and lengths for all tastes. I like them long and wear them with turn-ups - that's a solution if you like shorter lengths, or simply get them turned up.

I look forward to distressing these naturally over the next few months and will write about this process again in future posts. Please let me know how you get on.

Best wishes

GF

If anyone has any further suggestions of favourite raw denim jeans, please comment at the end of this post.

Can I buy a pair of British-made denims? Joe Casely-Hayford at John Lewis

After many years' service, my jeans are ragged and threadbare. These scars have been earned, not applied at the factory like so many designer denims. They were nothing special, but I liked them, and they lasted a reasonable time. They will now be worn for chores before ending their life as dusters and rags.

Sic transit gloria denimi

As I've just had a Made and Designed in Britain month I could hardly sneak off and buy new jeans made in China or Turkey. Then I remembered I'd seen Made in England jeans at John Lewis, who are making a good effort to sell British products - I wrote about their Harris tweed jackets a few weeks ago.

Their Joe Casely-Hayford for John Lewis Raw Selvage Jeans, Indigo, have sold out online at the time of writing, but can be found at a few branches. They are strong and tightly-woven, a rich indigo colour, nicely cut (reasonably slim-fitting) and long in the leg, so even daddy-long-legs like me have plenty to turn up. Most importantly, the fly is a zip and the waist isn't going to be somewhere around your knees - so these are jeans for grown-ups. I now have six months of not washing my new jeans while I let the raw denim map itself to my lifestyle (or whatever). See here for more information.

If you miss these, how about some Welsh jeans? Stay tuned; I'll be looking at Hiut Denim shortly.

If you're an older man unsure about wearing jeans, read my thoughts here and then just buy a pair. Jeans were here before any of us and no generation has an exclusive right to wear them - just do so stylishly!

(All photos by Grey Fox)