Revisiting Nashville

13 years Later at Imogene + Willie

In the early days of ACL, I met Matt and Carrie Eddmenson, the husband and wife founders of Imogene + Willie when I went to Nashville for the first time. They were building an amazing denim-centric brand focused on making things in the USA. It was all very much in my zone, and it’s no surprise that I fell in love with this brand and its shop on 12th Avenue South. One would think the best place to open would be East Nashville—the emerging, cool kid zone, but that’s not where Matt and Carrie did. They opened in a more residential neighborhood as one of the first brands on that street. Their shop helped to kick off an incredible retail renaissance for the area. I vividly remember that first visit in 2011. I loved the product and the feeling of the store. I was shocked that there was virtually nothing else in the neighborhood. They had the inspiration and were able to create a world to make that vision come alive. 15 years later, Imogene + Willie is stronger than ever thanks to Matt and Carrie’s creativity and the business acumen of their partners, KP and Katy McNeill.

After seeing Imogene + Willie again a few weeks ago for the brand’s 15th anniversary, I was delighted with what I found. 12th Avenue South, the once deserted shopping street with no retailers, has changed dramatically. The area is now one of the most sought-after retail spaces in the city. (Perhaps I should have known better in 2011 and bought some real estate!). Honestly, I wasn’t prepared for just how much the place had changed. Nashville gets a lot of visitors, and it’s nice for these people to buy something from Imogene + Willie that is unique to the place. To me it makes sense to go to Nashville and buy a pair of jeans that were designed and created there. In a world of gimmicks, this is the opposite of that. It’s the rare real thing.

Through the ups and downs of the business, Imogene + Willie has remained focused on making great clothes, nice jeans, and cool accessories. As far as I can tell, everything is made in America, and Imogene’s commitment to sourcing with integrity has remained intact through the years. This is not a common occurrence if you want to know. A lot of companies start out making things in America. The quantities are smaller, and the production is easier to manage. A sense of purpose beats out a desire for huge margins. Eventually, most companies move away from U.S. production for a variety of reasons. It’s admittedly hard to make stuff here. The manufacturers that are still around generally don’t want to take risks. (Those businesses are all so fragile they really can’t afford to take any chances.) It’s hard to make anything at scale, and the quality, despite what people may think, isn’t always the best. Making stuff in America is like playing the game on hard mode. That’s one of the reasons why Imogene + Willie is special. Despite all of the headwinds and challenges, it has thrived and done so with integrity. It truly is an American success story.

My trip to Nashville was an Imogene + Willie deep dive. I went to the company offices; we traveled together to Georgia to visit one of the last remaining denim mills in America (more on that to come) and then on to see the brand’s sock manufacturer in Alabama. I saw the in-house production of graphic tees and visited the flagship store, where I bought some jeans.

Denim is a big part of Imogene, both emotionally and from a business standpoint. Carrie Eddmenson, nee Sights, might as well be denim royalty in America. Her family in Kentucky was one of the first partners for Levi’s to wash and treat denim to create unique distressed looks. Remember that whole stone wash/acid wash thing? That all started at the Sights laundry. Her brother Bart remains the head of denim innovation for Levi Strauss. It’s safe to say that jeans are a thing for the Sights family.

That tradition continues at Imogene + Willie. It’s one of the best places in America to buy jeans. When I went to the shop in 2011, I bought a pair (which I still own), and I knew I had to do the same thing when I went this year. I tried a few pairs on and went with the classic Willie fit in Japanese rigid denim. With a tailor shop right in the back, I was able to get my jeans fit and hemmed (with a chainstitch machine) right there while I waited. It was one of those moments where you really appreciate going into a physical retail store. I’m glad to be able to still buy American-made quality jeans 13 years later. I’m glad Imogene + Willie has remained committed to making good things close to home. Now I know that I need to visit more than once every 13 years.

These photos are from the Imogene + Willie offices and the company screen printing studio in the adjoining space where all of the graphic tees are done. The brand has done a wonderful job of growing other categories of clothing like interesting socks and said graphic tees, where everything is done in-house. I loved these spaces with Americana sprinkled everywhere.