As we approach the third birthday of HebTroCo it’s starting to feel like we have some history. After all, just three years ago, these were the actual trousers that we wore all the time.
We loved wearing jeans and had been wearing them since watching cowboy films as kids in the 1970s. Jeans were cool and practical. Then as we got a lot older they became expensive and rules started to come in like you weren’t supposed to wash them, but you could put them in the freezer…
On the 2nd December 2015 we took our denim off and put on our first pairs of moleskins. We’ve been denim free since then! Actually we still really like denim, we’ve got denim shirts and we’ve not got anything against denim leg garments, we just like something different now.
This is one of the first sample pairs of moleskins that we had made. You can see that it’s constructed like a pair of jeans with the “yoked back” seam above the patch pocket and the “bar tacks” at stress points. This pair has a single diagonal stitch at the top corners of the rear pocket. From the first production pair up to now, all our trousers have an X sewn at these points. You can also see the very first attempt at a HebTroCo branded patch. This was an offcut from a veg tanned belt, hand stamped and sewn on by Tommy, who still makes all our belts. The patch was cool, but in the long run leather doesn’t get on well with washing machines and we replaced it with something laundry proof. “What number do you want on it?” he asked. “69 all the time” of course*.
Look at that lovely brushed texture to the moleskin. Soft to the touch, warm and very hardwearing. Our pattern now has bigger belt loops for proper belts, as well as a better fit.
We make two cuts of moleskin trousers. 177 has a tapered leg. Governor is a straight leg cut. They both come in a choice of Dark Navy or Grey (iPhone photos show these colours slightly differently depending on the lighting as you can see. All the trousers above are made from the same cloth). The 177 patch shows the contours of the Calder Valley and Hebden Bridge, where it all started and where we’re still based. The Governor patch doesn’t need a description. Belts can be worn over or under the patches.
From then to now moleskin trousers have always been our core product. The pattern has improved over time and we only use the best quality fabric. All our products are British made and they are made to last. Cheers.
*The actual 69th pair of production moleskins, with the 69 patch, from our initial Kickstarter crowd funding launch is still being worn by a customer in Hebden Bridge. Wonder where all the other 175 pairs are, and what they look like? If you’ve got a pair please send us a photo.