The Story of Wabash

This limited release of 'Wabash' Selvage Denim is a unique blend of indigo warp x black weft in a 12oz weight. It's this combo that produces the intensely dark face that allows for the Wabash pattern to contrast so vividly. The history of the Wabash pattern goes back further than that of denim, to the glory days of the railroad system in the United States. The Wabash Confederacy was a name originally given to a collective group of Native American tribes that lived along the Wabash River in what is now Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. The name was then adopted by the Wabash Rail Road company that operated in this region from 1837 until 1964. They used a dotted pin stripe pattern for all of their uniforms as a way to differentiate their workers from other rail companies employees. As the Railroad uniform proliferated, many derivatives of this pattern emerged and became known collectively as 'Wabash'. By the 1930's it was widely adopted as a standardized work wear pattern in most uniforms for service oriented jobs.