Join Us On A Virtual Tour of Left Field NYC. Fade and Win $500

Blood, Sweat and Sulphur. Christian McCann Shows Us Around Left Field NYC

Christian McCann of the Left Field NYC denim paradise in New York’s borough of Queens is no lightweight, as even a quick glance at his Instagram will confirm. As a third generation, Irish immigrant who instinctively knows what’s worth fighting for, he has “struggle” etched in to his DNA and, if you cut him, he bleeds pure passion.

[infobox title=’Fade With Left Field NYC And Win $500′]Fade a pair of Left Field NYC’s signature Black Maria, sulphur-dyed, 14.5 oz Collect Mills, red-line selvedge jeans and walk off with a store credit for either $500 or $300 for 2nd place. See them on Christian’s site and then like them on Instagram to get involved.

Use coupon code DH20 to snag your Black Marias at a full 20% off.

[/infobox]The store on Woodward Avenue, Ridgewood is home to his eponymous label as well as Choctaw Ridge, McCann’s vintage-inspired undergarment collection and, working with cinematographer Niels Alpert, he has taken us on a tour of everything he and the brand stand for. Hard work and a deep, respectful homage to all that has influenced raw denim culture to this very day.

“From the outside it looks more like an old factory than a retail store, so it feels like you stumbled back in time when you enter. The only way to detect the shop is a hand blown Red Neon sign made by a local craftsman. The building is from the 1920s – solid brick with antique, oak floors and a painted, tin ceiling.

“In fact, the Left Field shop used to be a sweater factory – one of so many in this district – before our beloved government sold out our people, our jobs and our neighbourhood to mass-production misery, so of course it was abandoned when we moved in. It lives and breathes old NYC so we left it very raw and original. It has earned the right to be preserved and to thrive again.

“All of our clothing has been produced in America since I first started the brand in 1998 and when I first  moved to NY from Philadelphia with enough money to cover two months’ rent. We offer denim darning services, custom chainstich embroidery in either rayon or wool like they used in the 50’s and chain stitch hemming on an antique 43200g Union Special. “

The stage is set with antiques and collectibles from across the country. Original pinball machines, a 50s jukebox belting out The Ramones and Jonny Cash, a vintage Norton, war-time and mining memorabilia, and fixtures that have beaten in to shape with fire, muscle and raw craft. And yes, the original Philco refrigerator not only works, it is stacked with ice-cold beers.

Clothes are merchandised on old factory carts and there’s even an antique coal-mining cart to hold the infamous Black Maria jeans.

And, that is because they were named after the black, horse-drawn wagon that used to routinely drop dead miners on their front porch in the coal patch when they were killed in the frequent mining accidents which were just a fact of life – and death – back in the day. Christian explains;

“Coal was mined a few hours outside Philadelphia from the earliest days of modern America and the thirst for anthracite quite literally fuelled the growth of the major cities of the eastern United States. But, there wasn’t a harder, dirtier, more dangerous job than that of the coal miner and, all too often, they paid the ultimate price. I simply felt that these guys deserved some recognition in work wear.  ” 

Essentials: The Left Field NYC Black Maria

The Black Maria comes in two fits; the Greaser which is a classic straight cut and the slim but not skinny Chelsea which is named after the illustrious New York hotel where Sid murdered Nancy and Leonard Cohen did something far more agreeable with Janis Joplin. They are as black as the darkest night but, in the right hands, they deliver an absolutely vicious fade.

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• 14.5 oz. Collect Mills red line selvedge denim
• Sulfur yarn dyed warp and weft
• 100% cotton
• Skull logo on inside rivets and tacks
• Raised belt loops

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• Hidden selvedge coin pocket
• All black American-made Universal hardware
• American-made bandana pocket bags
• Black leather embossed patch
• Crafted with pride in the USA

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Fade a pair of Left Field NYC’s signature Black Maria, sulphur-dyed, 14.5 oz Collect Mills, red-line selvedge jeans and walk off with a store credit for either $500 or $300 for 2nd place. See them on Christian’s site and then like them on Instagram to get involved.

Use coupon code DH20 to snag your Black Marias at a full 20% off.

Left Field NYC

657 Woodward Ave., Ridgewood, Queens NYC and can be reached via the L train or M train.

Phone number is (718) 366-7308, or send an email to [email protected].

Hours: Mon 11-7, Tue 11-7, Wed 11-7, Thurs 11-8, Fri 11-7