After serving in the military for over five years, it was a natural transition for me to the defense industry, where I worked for over two decades. The career and lifestyle allowed me to become a mentor to countless veterans utilizing many platforms, including Veterati and American Corporate Partners, as well as being active in my local Team RWB chapter, leading group runs and hikes as Athletic Director.
And then COVID hits and everything changes. I call it the 'COVID-Culture'… not only were critical gaps exposed in the global supply chain across industries, but we also saw a dramatic rise in the number of consumers who bought brands that aligned with their values - that number stands at 75% today.
It was at this same time that I searched for a rugged and reliable pair of American-made denim jeans. I was shocked to discover that I could not find anything to my liking. What I found was that of the 450 million pairs of denim jeans purchased in the USA every year, less than 2% were actually made in America. Furthermore, far too many jeans made today more closely resembled yoga pants - skinny, tight and super stretchy.
And yet, I could find evidence that there were consumers just like me wanting to buy from patriotic brands producing quality products with values that I could truly get behind. I knew that smart consumers were aware that they co-sign a brand’s values and messages with the purchases they made. Quite frankly, some of the ‘classic’ American brands had offshored all of their production processes for a few more nickels of profit and began aggressively marketing to notions and ideologies that did not align with my core values.
I endeavored to start a lifestyle brand to those who provide, protect, and promote liberty. And in doing so, we would produce a great pair of 100% Made in USA premium denim jeans.
- Founder, Patrick Mate