Portland, Oregon. Est. 2016
XV started because two of us could not find a crewneck that survived a second winter. We placed one order with one factory in Portugal, sold four hundred of them out of a garage in Southeast Portland, and reordered the same pattern the next year. That is still roughly the whole strategy.
The name is the number we opened with: fifteen pieces, one factory, one order. We carry twenty-six now, and most of them have not changed since they were introduced. When something wears out you can replace exactly that thing, rather than rebuilding an outfit around whatever the season decided to be about.
Where things are made
Knitwear
Since 2017
Five-gauge lambswool on machines that predate most of the people running them. Everything is linked at the shoulder by hand and washed in Borders water, which is the reason the hand feels the way it does.
Fisherman Rib SweaterDenim
Since 2016
Unsanforized selvedge on shuttle looms, hemmed on a Union Special 43200G. Slow, narrow, and the only way to get a hem that ropes properly after a year of wear.
Selvedge Five-PocketWaxed cotton
Since 2019
British Millerain cloth cut and sewn a few miles from where it is finished. Waxed goods are the one category we will not move offshore, because the cloth does not travel well and the sewing is unusual.
Waxed Chore CoatJersey and fleece
Since 2016
Loopback fleece, garment dyed in 40-piece lots. The same three people have cut our crewneck since the first order, which is why the fit has not drifted in nine years.
Garment-Dyed CrewneckThe short list
Six fabrics account for almost everything we make. Keeping the list short is what lets us reorder rather than redesign, and it is why we can tell you the town a garment came from rather than the country.
| Fabric | Mill | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| 9.4oz loopwheeled cotton | Wakayama, Japan | Tees and long sleeves |
| 14oz loopback fleece | Guimarães, Portugal | Crewnecks and hoodies |
| 5-gauge lambswool | Hawick, Scotland | Knitwear and watch caps |
| 8oz waxed cotton | Manchester, England | Chore coats and totes |
| 13.5oz selvedge denim | Okayama, Japan | Jeans and trucker jackets |
| 12oz cotton canvas | Los Angeles, California | Work pants |
Seasonal drops that orphan last year's fit. Fabric substitutions we cannot explain on the product page. Discounting a core piece to move stock we over-ordered.
Publish the mill. Reorder the same pattern. Take a return at thirty days with no argument, and repair a waxed coat at cost for as long as we are still making it.
Slowly. Two new pieces a year at most, and only when something in the line is genuinely missing rather than merely absent.