What’s Your Favorite? With Matthew Wilson (Rope Dye)
A new topic on Long John is What’s Your Favorite? In this topic, we ask denim professionals within the industry, or true denim aficionados his, or her, favorites as it comes to denim brand, denim jacket, food, music, store, and so on.
The first editions are already online;
- Tilmann Wrobel a.k.a. Monsieur-T.
- Peter van Rerskov store manager at Brund in Copenhagen.
- Robin Meijerink a.k.a. Robin Denim.
- Guido Wetzels from Blaumann Jeanshosen.
- Andrew Chen, co-owner of 3sixteen.
The new edition is with Matthew Wilson from Rope Dye.
This topic is made in collaboration with Denimhunters.
Photo by Brian Engblad (@oddhunt) & Denimhunters from the ‘Blue Blooded Portfolio’.
- Name: Matthew Wilson.
- Location: Originally from Scotland but live in Berlin, Germany.
- Profession: I run a creative service and consulting agency with Daniel Padilla Werner.
- Instagram: @cee.are.dee.
What’s your favorite denim brand?
Evisu, has to be. It is where this whole denim thing got started for me. I found a denim jacket from them about 7 years ago in a TK Maxx in Berlin. I was just filing through the rails as you do when you are in TK Maxx. I knew the Evisu brand from back in the day and to be honest, had a pretty negative association with it. In Scotland, it was a brand worn by the N.E.D’s (Non-Educated Delinquents) and all the history and cultural significance didn’t make it as far as Edinburgh in 1999. But as soon as I put my hands on it, I could feel there was something different about the material. It wasn’t denim as I had experienced it before. The crispness, the weight, the deep indigo tone. Compared to what I was used to paying for clothing, it was quite expensive at 80 euros (I know, I know… things have certainly changed, haha). I hummed and hawed a long time but eventually, I thought, why not and treated myself. That was it. I was hooked.
What’s your favorite pair of jeans?
I have a pair of Benzak Denim Developers 710s in a green cast, left hand twill denim. They were a gift from Lenn, the founder of Benzak. They would mean a lot for this reason alone. Lenn is a close friend and I have watched Benzak grow and evolve over the years. But they are also the best fitting pair of jeans I’ve ever owned and in one of my all time favourite denims I’ve ever worn. Sadly I am too fat for them these days…but one day, I am going to get a really bad stomach flu and I’ll fit right back into them.
What’s your favorite denim jacket?
An Evisu jacket in the Type I style I got from their flagship store in Tokyo. This kind of closed a loop for me. It was an Evisu denim jacket that got me into this whole denim thing in the first place after all. So being at the store in Tokyo with everything I had learned and experienced about denim over the years, picking out a jacket and seeing the gul being painted on the pocket. It was spiritual, I’ll tell you.
What’s your favorite footwear brand?
Ok, for the next few questions, you are getting more than one answer.. Sorry, not sorry, haha.
Right, shoes. Red Wing for rugged, Trickers for refined.
What’s your favorite retailer?
Stuff Fine Goods (read their story here). I love and want everything in that place, bar none! Tenue de Nimes for pure and unadulterated inspiration. DC4 if I want access to Japanese denim not to mention a cold beer and a good chat. Burg & Schild for the denim community here in Berlin.
What’s your favorite Instagrammer or person in the denim industry?
Instagrammer: Simply Suzette. What Ani Wells (read her story here in Meet the Person) is doing in the denim industry deserves a standing ovation. In the denim industry as a whole… Hmmm… Hajime Inoue, the founder of TCB. He once told me he wants to be the Colonel Sanders of the denim world. This goal alone would make him awesome, but he also happens to make some amazing denim items too.
What’s your favorite accessory?
If I have to pick one… The Indian head Fine Light Trading ring I have. Mostly because I didn’t really want it but it came to me anyway. I loved what Innes was doing and I had a onyx stone ring from Fine Light already. I always thought I would get another one at some point. When I heard he was closing up shop I got on the phone to anyone that I knew that carried them to see what they still had in stock. It was the Vater & Son guys up in Hamburg that had the few remaining rings in Europe. Sasha told me, hey, I have this one massive one that no one wants, it’s your size. It was meant to be, I snapped it up. And yeah, when I got it I thought I had made an expensive mistake but quickly it became one of the favourite things I own.
What’s your favorite food?
Steak. Punkt. (Cue the angry vegan comments).
What’s your favorite music?
I will quite happily ping pong between Tool and Maroon 5. (Cue more comments)
What’s your favorite book?
How To Be A Man by Glen O’brien. If Bill Cunningham was a writer, he would be Glen O’brien. This book should be required reading for all men. And there should be a test after. It should be required reading for all women too so they can hold us accountable for badly fitting beige anything.
What’s your favorite quote?
“Clothes are legible objects. Whether you like it or not, your class, gender, politics, aspirations are all read through what you wear, and society treats you accordingly.” by Edward Siddons.
It is the more eloquent version of some of the best advice I ever got. “Unless you are sleeping, fucking or showering, you are wearing clothes. Take them seriously.” This person will remain blissfully anonymous.
This topic is made in collaboration with Denimhunters. You can jump to their site for more Q&A’s about Matthew Wilson here.
In case you have missed the previous What’s your favorite?, check them out here;
-
- Tilmann Wrobel a.k.a. Monsieur-T.
- Peter van Rerskov store manager at Brund in Copenhagen.
- Robin Meijerink a.k.a. Robin Denim.
- Guido Wetzels, co-owner of Blaumann Jeanshosen.
- Andrew Chen, co-owner of 3sixteen.
