London’s Oliver Sweeney x Billiam. Black Is Back And Minimal

Only 30 Pairs In This One-Off Cone Mills Black Selvedge

London-based Oliver Sweeney, who have been known to knock out a mean Chelsea boot along with a selection of delicious Oxford brogues, have announced that they have sealed their ongoing bromance with South Carolina’s Billiam Jeans and are currently rolling out a limited edition colab of just 30 pairs of black 12.25 ouncers.

Sourced from the research and development team at Cone Mills, the denim is, by its very nature, made even more desirable due to its scarcity and features a dark grey weft and white line selvedge.

Whilst some of us will wear our favourite jeans whatever the weather and regardless of their weight, a 12.25 oz. jean strikes us as an ideal weight as we enter the warmer months up here in the northern-hemisphere. More than ideal is the minimal approach, the harshness of the white coin-pocket detail and the embossed, leather patch. And, with half-lined rear pockets and a price-point of £179 with free shipping, you’re looking at a lot of cool cotton for your cash.

Crafted in the old-school way in the USA and shipped in bulk (if you can call thirty pairs “bulk”), they are taking orders online or in their physical stores in the UK.

Blogging about the Oliver Sweeney x Billiam relationship, head honcho Tim Cooper says;

“Bill’s ‘old school’ method of making jeans through sheer trial and error all those years ago has truly paid off now – with any pair of Billiam jeans, you get a hand-made and painstakingly detailed pair, that feel great and easy to wear, exactly to your measurements. I wouldn’t wear any other brand now. It’s an honour to work with them and I am excited to extend our collaboration with them.”

As far as we know, this is a European debut for Billiam, too.

Billiam. Smart Business With A Soul

Bill Mitchell founded the business in 2009 and started out in his parents’ basement with little more than his mother’s sewing machine and a healthy dose of grit to set him on his growth path.

And, that trajectory has been quite A Thing. At one point, Bill’s waiting list had swollen to some 400 orders so it must have been tempting to sell-out and count the cash rolling in. Instead, his commitment to the long haul means that he refuses to produce beyond the city-limits of Greenville, SC and says that he will always keep things in-house.

We applaud that position. That’s great news for well-crafted goods and local jobs and we couldn’t help but raise a smile when we learned that Billiam donates 20% of year-end profits to Wellspring Living, an Atlanta, Georgia-based charity that fights tirelessly against the sex trafficking of women and girls.

There’s a time and place, guys. Otherwise, just keep it in your beautiful jeans…

The Essentials

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• Straight leg, relaxed fit
• Made in Greenville, North Carolina
• Cone Mills 12.25oz selvedge denim
• Leather label stamped with Oliver Sweeney x Billiam Jeans
• Button fly

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• Sanfirized for minimal shrinkage
• Raw selvedge pocket bags
• Half-lined back pockets
• White selvedge to waist detail
• Limited Edition – 30 pairs only

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