An Anthology of American Workwear

$39.00

Gold Rush denim. Ghost towns. Hollywood archives. This is the origin story of American workwear told through rare garments, legendary names, and the thrill of the hunt.

Inside you’ll discover

  • Workwear during the California Gold Rush — and what really happened

  • Denim hunting: exploring mines and ghost towns to find old jeans

  • The story of Jacob Davis, inventor of the rivet (the man behind Levi’s success)

  • A look inside United Costume, one of Hollywood’s most respected costume houses

  • Why American workwear became an obsession in Japan

  • How to date a garment by its tag (collector knowledge)

Cover: a unique painting by Western artist Mark Maggiori, created exclusively for AVANT.

Specs

  • Softcover

  • 170 × 240 mm

  • Full color

  • Language: English

  • Shipping: Worldwide

Gold Rush denim. Ghost towns. Hollywood archives. This is the origin story of American workwear told through rare garments, legendary names, and the thrill of the hunt.

Inside you’ll discover

  • Workwear during the California Gold Rush — and what really happened

  • Denim hunting: exploring mines and ghost towns to find old jeans

  • The story of Jacob Davis, inventor of the rivet (the man behind Levi’s success)

  • A look inside United Costume, one of Hollywood’s most respected costume houses

  • Why American workwear became an obsession in Japan

  • How to date a garment by its tag (collector knowledge)

Cover: a unique painting by Western artist Mark Maggiori, created exclusively for AVANT.

Specs

  • Softcover

  • 170 × 240 mm

  • Full color

  • Language: English

  • Shipping: Worldwide

An Anthology of American Workwear 2
An Anthology of American Workwear 2
$39.00

In this first volume, An Anthology of American Workwear, AVANT dives into workwear clothing through one of America’s most mythic chapters: the California Gold Rush.

We meet key voices who shaped today’s workwear culture — Brit Eaton (denim archaeologist), Rin Tanaka (founder of The Inspiration Show), and collectors Bryan and Melody Kahtava to talk denim hunting and the thrill of discovery. We also paint a portrait of Jacob Davis, inventor of the rivet and the man behind Levi’s early success.

Beyond the frontier, we explore United Costume, one of Hollywood’s most reputed costume houses, investigate the love of American workwear in Japan, and share practical collector tools — including how to recognize a garment’s era from its tag.

This issue is part history book, part collector field guide, and part love letter to the garments that built the modern American silhouette.

What’s inside (highlights)

    • Denim Hunters: exploring gold mines and ghost towns to uncover old denim

    • Inside United Costume: the most famous costume house in Hollywood

    • Jacob Davis, inventor of the rivet: the man behind Levi’s success

    • One Century of Workwear in the Movies

    • Heritage brands get a second life

    • Wouter Munnichs: denim specialist and founder of Long John

    • Larry McKaughan: founder of Heller’s Cafe and vintage collector

    • Josh Sirlin: founder of Black Bear Brand

    • Brit Eaton: denim archaeologist

    • Exclusive cover painting by Mark Maggiori for AVANT

    • Instants from the Past: antique photos collected by Bandit Photographer

    • Road Trip: watercolor illustrations of the American West by Magali Brueder

    • Workwear Still Life: photography by Gauthier Borsarello

    • How to date a denim garment by its tag

    • The big directory of workwear brands

    • Investigation in Tokyo and Japan’s obsession with American workwear

    • Stifel story: the golden fabric

    • Never Rip My Denim

    • The California Gold Rush: how everything really began