After Years of Development, Russell Shurtz Launches Circle A Brand Through Kickstarter
It’s rare that we, as denimhunters, find a denim Kickstarter that gets us excited. A Kickstarter that reminds us why we spend hours looking at pictures of depression-era coal miners. A Kickstarter that reminds us of the first time we saw a pair of Samurais or Studio D’Artisans on a Japanese website. A Kickstarter that reminds us of when we slipped our legs into our first pair of expensive, stiff jeans and walked like a penguin for a bit because we didn’t know what to do. These Kickstarters are indeed rare, but Circle A Brand is here to save us all.
Not Just Another Kickstarter!
Denim Kickstarters tend to fall into two categories these days. It’s either a direct-to-consumer jean sold at slashed prices via “a new business model.”
Or, a jean that’s a skinny fit, but not too skinny that is built for kayakers or mountain climbers or some other esoteric group that apparently needs denim marketed at them.
Circle A Brand is neither.
What you have here is the work of one man: Russell Shurtz. He makes everything himself in his Asheville, NC studio. He’s produced custom work for clients all over the world, designed and sewn stitch-for-stitch reproductions of WWII dungarees for a group of rabid workwear fans, and refurbished tents for a Cuban arts collective.
Circle A Brand Is Not Another Bloated Marketing Campaign
Russell Shurtz is the real deal, and more importantly, his Kickstarter is the real deal. Shurtz isn’t asking for donations so he can invest in marketing and a bloated web platform to sell you uninspired jeans. He’s looking for donations to jumpstart Circle A Brand, to expand into a proper space – his “studio” is actually the living room of his midcentury bungalow on the grounds of a defunct asylum – and to produce goods at the highest possible level that honor his reverence for tradition, detail and quality.
This is your chance to get in on the ground floor with a truly inspired collection. Shurtz imagines Circle A’s first offering as the beginning of a triptych that starts at the sea and finishes in the woods with “river pigs and lumberjacks” along the way. The Kickstarter collection is ambitious and offers a range of meticulously crafted items from accessories and bags to denim and overalls.
Collection Highlight: The Lot A1-28 Jeans
Shurtz takes inspiration from 20’s workwear with the Lot A1-28 jeans. These jeans made from an 11 oz., unsanforized Cone Mills selvedge come in a medium rise with a fitted top block and straight leg. This is a classic fit in a classic fabric that eschews the traditional 12 oz. sanforized Cone that seems to be everywhere these days. They’re also quite popular as there was only one left at the time of writing.
Even though when the jeans will be sold out (which we’re sure they will), there’s still plenty in the Circle A collection for a denim enthusiast. Whether it’s the denim mariner vest with a shawl collar, the machinist overalls or the Shipyard Parka, there’s no shortage of opportunity to support a rising artist in the garment industry.
Have a look at the Kickstarter here to see all the beautiful garments on offer.
