The promise of denim produced on American Draper X3 selvedge looms just eight hours away in Vidalia, La. seemed like a golden opportunity for the Nashville-based Imogene & Willie.
Eager to add another chapter to its “Made in USA” story, CEO K.P. McNeill said Imogene & Willie was Vidalia’s first customer when the mill launched in 2019. The brand bought five to seven different fabrics spanning indigo and black denim, and different weights and shades. “We did some rigid product and different fits—we built a whole program around it,” he said.
Related Stories
“I had gotten to know the group that launched Vidalia, and we were super proud to be their first buyer. We were able to get the very first fabric off those looms,” McNeill said. “We launched some rigid product right off the bat; then we did some washes later one. We developed a bunch of content down there, too. We were huge supporters and believers, but we also understood it was a big idea and a very ambitious plan.”
However, McNeill said it increasingly became difficult securing fabrics with the kind of quality the brand needed from Vidalia. “I think they probably went through ups and downs. We always had hope that it would make it and that things would improve, but it was definitely challenging toward the end,” he said.
Earlier this month, the Concordia Parish sheriff announced that will hold a sheriff’s sale for the shuttered mill, which owes approximately $32.5 million in principal, interest, and late charges to the Jefferson Financial Federal Credit Union and Greater Nevada Credit Union. The news has ignited discussions about Made in USA denim and interest in the 40 American Draper X3 selvedge looms that Vidalia housed.
McNeill said as far as he knows, the only denim that Vidalia ever produced was selvedge made on the historic looms. A dye range was never in place, and they were never turning cotton into denim yarn. Instead, McNeill said Vidalia was getting their indigo yarn from Imogene & Willie’s other U.S. denim supplier, Mount Vernon in Georgia. “I think the production was a little bit misunderstood,” he said. “I talked to people about Vidalia, and they’d say, oh man, it must be amazing that they’re taking cotton and turning it into denim fabric. It wasn’t that.”
Sourcing fabric domestically is the most challenging part of Imogene & Willie’s production. On top of that, McNeill said there is no government support to produce Made in USA jeans.
“We really try to keep every dollar we spend in the U.S. And there are no tax breaks; there is no assistance,” he said, adding how there’s a misconception that tariff and trade wars will promote Made in USA. “I think we need to be investing directly in companies that are committed to Made in USA. We’re profitable companies, there should be tax benefits.”
While McNeill doubts that Vidalia can get back on track with new ownership, he hopes the looms remain in the U.S. “Our hope is that somebody can use them and put them back to work. We feel like there’s an incredible community of customers that want to support Made in USA. I think it would be a shame if those looms were bought and sent another country, whether it be Mexico, Japan or China,” he said. “We’d love to find a way to keep those looms here. We’d love to invest if there were an opportunity.”
Mount Vernon is the only obvious U.S. plug-and-play choice for the looms. It would require too much capital to establish a new mill, not to mention the challenges that come with training a green workforce.
McNeill said the brand is in “extensive conversations” with Mount Vernon and is willing to make a significant upfront investment to take some of the financial risk off the table if there is an opportunity to acquire the equipment.
The sale, which was rescheduled for May 14, will be a true test of the denim industry’s sense of community and dedication to domestic manufacturing.
“We’re all small in this community. And when you’re all small, you got to work together. I think there’s been an attitude and an energy historically, where you feel competitive, but we don’t feel that way. We feel that anybody who’s truly committed to Made in America are our partners,” McNeill said. “If we’re not together on this—if we’re not helping each other out—there’s no chance we’re all going to be successful because we’re competing against much bigger forces.”
