While there’s no denying that jeans are a no-brainer for everyday—not to mention that they’ve been staples for everyone from hard-working 49ers to rebellious mid-century teens—it still seems like a revelation when a denim brand focuses more on fit and good design than trend-catering. Imogene + Willie (Imogene pronounced, appropriately, as “I’m a jean,”) is the mid-recession-born denim brand run by Nashville husband-and-wife duo Carrie and Matt Eddmenson. The brand masters honed their skills for a collective 20 years (Carrie for nearly two decades, Matt for six), working for Carrie’s now-defunct family denim business, which developed and manufactured for other brands. Once it closed, the pair struck out on their own, reworking classics—jean silhouettes for their pants, and even an old gas station to house most of their operation, including their retail store. Imogene + Willie (Carrie’s maternal grandparents were the brand's namesakes) make jeans for guys and gals utilizing classic silhouettes—straight-legs for both sexes, plus ‘70s flares for the ladies—but with modern, intuitive updates, like wide-set pockets to flatter the bum and higher rises for comfort. And any way you want your jeans—black, natural, stretch, what have you—they’ll do it. And since quality is the focus, everything’s made in the good ol’ U.S.A., mostly within a 50-mile radius of that aforementioned run-down gas station. “This is really all we knew how to do,” Carrie says, which, judging by these jeans, is a good thing.
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