Safe to say that the end of last year was probably not the ideal time to introduce a premium denim collection, but for the guys behind Tellason – a new San Francisco based men’s denim collection – it was “economy be damned” as they set forward on their mission to make their mark on a wardrobe staple, quality jeans.
Established in 2008 and shipping its first product in 2009, Tellason has already gained a loyal following among some of the best specialty shops in America. The strong stocklist makes sense when you consider the specifics. The first limited run of jeans (some 240 pairs; priced at $198) and made of Cone selvage denim from North Carolina with a leather patch from Portland’s Tanner Goods and all sewn in San Francisco with a strong attention to detail and make. Tellason’s Tony Patella took a few minutes to sit down and chat about the new collection.
ACL: How did you guys get your start in the denim trade?
Tony Patella: In 1993 I opened a boutique in San Francisco and became friends with a local denim veteran, Cliff Abbey. In the ’70s he had a line called Sticky Fingers, which was one of the first “fashion/designer” denim brands – at that time the market was dominated by Levi’s, Wrangler, Britannia and Lee. When I met him in 1993, he was operating a premium denim brand named Claudio Agnelli, which he sold to Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and better denim boutiques across the U.S. He was just in the process of launching a new brand, Sutter’s, aimed at the young men’s and junior’s market. I eventually became a partner in the company and together we built Sutter’s into a well-respected player in the category. We sold the product to Delias, Pacific Sunwear, Urban Outfitters and the best denim shops across the country. We had a great eight-year run and then the ubiquity of private label made playing in the medium price point impossible. I also worked in men’s denim product development and production at Gap in San Francisco for a “cup of coffee.”
ACL: Where does the name Tellason come?
TP: It is a combination of my last name and my business partner’s last name, which ends in “son.” We wanted a name that had a story behind it, that had an old workwear feel to it and that did not involve the words “indigo” or “blue.”
ACL: You are friends with the font cartel that is House Industries, did they design your logo?
TP: Yes. Having taken a true artisanal approach to everything we’ve put into it, the badging is often the most important, so what better crew to give our brand an impactful logo hug than those heavyweights of font design?
ACL: Out of curiosity, what makes someone launch a new denim line when there is so much out there? What makes Tellason jeans different or better than what is out there?
TP: Certainly, the world does not need another denim brand. That being said, the world does need another denim brand (or a brand in any category for that matter) that is passionate about quality of product and integrity of distribution. As the economy “thins the retail herd,” there will be a greater divide between the boutique shopper and the department store shopper, and consequently between the brands that cater to boutiques and those that cater to department stores. We have decided to remain faithful to the boutique owners and shoppers by not going after department store distribution. Boutique owners are tired of taking risks on new brands, developing them and then two years later finding them on a rounder in a mall. Regarding our product, the characteristics that make our jeans better and unique when compared to most other brands is our attention to detail and quality – the fabric, the thread color, the sewing, the hardware, the fit – all of these details matter, but it I’m constantly amazed at how many so-called “premium” brands fail to pay attention to each of those characteristics. A consumer, for whatever reason, may not like our jeans, but there is no way they can criticize the fabric and sewing. As a brand, that’s all you can do. We’re really into authenticity every step of the way. The time has come for artisanal producers to take back the term “premium” from the fakers that are making pants out of denim fabric and not remaining true to the heritage of blue jeans.
ACL: The first batch of jeans was limited to 240 pairs making the run fairly limited edition. Is this something that will continue each season or will you open things up with the next group?
TP: We will keep it at that level for a while. In fact, we are working on a couple of smaller projects with a couple of our retailers. We are creating special runs as small as 24 pair in which the retailer picks the thread color and we co-brand the pocket bag screen print. It’s a great way to build loyalty for the brand and the shop with their customers. For these projects, we’re seeking out really unique fabrics that can age beautifully when worn raw.
ACL: Tellason is based in San Francisco, which is also where you make the jeans. Is there a lot of denim manufacturing still taking place there? Was it more difficult or easier to produce domestically?
TP: In the ’80s and early ’90s there was a pretty good amount of denim manufacturing going on in San Francisco, even with the high costs associated with such a labor-intensive business. Levi Strauss had an old factory on Valencia Street in the Mission district that produced some of their premium product (now it’s a school). There are still a couple of sewing factories in the city, but they have had to change their business model to reflect their high costs of operation – they mainly make smaller runs of higher quality products for which they can charge higher prices. I still see a lot of really nice product rolling through their sewing lines. There are no denim finishing facilities in the Bay Area, so most of the denim being produced in California takes place in the Los Angeles area. Because of the fact that Levi Strauss and Gap are headquartered in San Francisco, we do have offices of all the major players in the fabric and hardware world here, which helps. We have a great relationship with Cone Mills’ San Francisco office. We used a selvage fabric made at their White Oak plant in Greensboro, NC for our 240 pair run. I’m a big fan of their fabrics – they have a really high level of consistency of quality. I’d say for a run as micro as ours, domestic production was much easier than making the product off-shore. With the proper level of supervision, quality jeans can be made elsewhere (for example, Mexico for the U.S. market), but for a project like ours, where we really wanted to be hands-on regarding the sewing details, making it in our hometown was a pleasure.
Update: Tellason is available at Steven Alan in NY and LA, Smith + Butler in Brooklyn and Blackbird in Seattle for $198.
What is the price point on the jeans?
do you sell online? I’ve heard a lot of people discussing these….
Sorry about that fellas. See the update. The jeans retail for $198. —ACL
Pros–Cone White Oak denim, nice cut, reliable stockists. Cons–use of the word “impactful,” name-checking Delia’s.
beautiful construction. id love me a pair!
What really distinguishes this line and 3sixteen’s line of denim? Same denim, same leather tag, same basic classic fits, cut/sewn in the same state. Why pay more for the same jean?
Is there anything you like Robin?
I am in Tokyo Japan where, like Tellason, the Japanese have a great appreciation for detail and qaulity but getting anything in gaijin size (188 cm) is next to impossible. Does Tellason sell or ship outside of the U.S. or do they plan to anytime soon?
Don’t forget that you can get them locally in SF at AB Fits in North Beach. Howard, John, and Mel really know what they are talking about in there.
these are amazing! these guys are genius…
re: Vestan – I own a pair of both the Tellason and 3sixteen jeans, and they are completely different. The Tellasons have a much more ‘true’ blue indigo, are fuller through the leg, have a much lower rise, and a different type and color of leather for the patch. Both pairs are amazing, but to say they’re the same thing is ignorant.
I’m in the market for a new pair of jeans. The back pockets don’t look overly large and low which is what I don’t like about a lot of the more “historic” styled jeans. I don’t like to sit right on top of my wallet or for it to be able to rotate around in the pocket. These are particulars I’m sure no one else cares about.
These are nice. I’m such a sucker for selvage denim. Add these to the list I want.
I was thinking the same thing about the 3sixteen similarities. But, I like these better with the fuller cut. With quads like tree trunks finding selvage that fits is usually tough.
everything about the construction, fit and materials and hardware used is different for the 3sixteen and Tellason jeans.
i love the selvage, love the patch, love the concept and home base of san fran. however, for some constructive criticism- really wish they weren’t photographed with a pair of squeky clean brown vans. I feel it lowers the grade of denim- and makes the look juvenile. would’ve been much cooler with a pair of great beat up brown leather boots…anyone agree?
we didn’t over think the shoes. we just like vans, new or old…
I tried on a pair of Tellason 32 inch waist jeans at Blackbird (Seattle) and thought the fabric, dye/color, sewing, and leg fit were all perfect. But I was surprised at how much of a low-rise cut they are for a traditionally styled pair of jeans. Unfortunately, I had to take a pass on them only because the low rise cut does not work for my purposes of (perhaps more conservative) traditional styling and cafe racer riding. I look forward to seeing what else Tellason has coming down the pike.
I think the Vans are great, actually made me think about getting a pair for fall. However I will agree my much abused Thorogood’s would go well.
yeah, i tried a pair of these on as well. everything was great, up until the fit for me. very very low rise. I felt like i had little coverage. But then again, I feel like my APC NS are verging on being a bit low for my liking…
the new standard is a mid rise jeans with 5 buttons…
they claim it’s mid rise, but it does fit a little low. I feel a true mid size are the levi 514 or the rag and bone rb15
Okay, I’ll do it: how does Tellason’s stack up to the APC Rescue?
leather patch, hidden details, more interesting denim, chainstitched
Tellason > APC
fit
APC > Tellason
Tried on a pair of these at Steven Alan last week, in love with the fit.
If I can find the funds, they will be mine.
Love these jeans! Just some at Jake in Chicago. They are amazing !!!! I wore them for weeks before i wanted to take them off!
Just bought a pair of these at Blackbird in Seattle. Great store, and also great jeans. Very nice old-school construction, with the coin pocket selvedge on the inside not the outside like most of the more flashy selvedge brands. More of a traditional, blue-jean color than other brands like apc or 3sixteen. I also have very slim legs, and the 30’s fit well. Couldn’t ask for more form a sub-200$ jean.