Store Spotlight: Shockoe Atelier
If you’re a fan of high quality denim, you’re probably familiar with brands like Imogene + Willie, rag & bone, Acne Studios and more. Well, I have another name for you to add to that list—Shockoe Atelier of Richmond, VA.
I visited their storefront and workshop for the first time today and I was thoroughly surprised when I walked in. The walls are covered with beautiful raw denim products, like their overshirts and heavy duty jeans. There’s also an array of vintage sewing machines, rugged furniture and wall art in the showroom that all tie into the brand. The operations director, Robert, and master pattern worker, Pierre, both greeted me and gave me a deeper tour of the shop after just a few moments.
As a part of this tour, Pierre detailed the current list of fabrics they use and where they’re sourced, the process behind creating their denim products, how the production room operates and even how they create custom denim for customers who request it. After this, I tried on their most popular model, the Slim Kojima. I was impressed.
After trying on a few pairs of denim, Pierre took me over to the sample and pattern room. This is where they keep the custom patterns for customers who get bespoke denim and new samples of denim they may try out on an upcoming product. Getting a custom pattern created is an excellent option for people who struggle with finding items that fit right off the rack, like myself. When it’s time for you to buy more denim, you just pick your fabric, pay the cost of your denim and wait a few weeks for your perfectly cut pair based on your pattern.
The most impressive part of the whole shop is the production room, where everything is made from start to finish. There are rows of sewing machines, rolls of various types of denim, even more custom patterns and a few friendly seamstresses. Even the shop puppy is friendly, but they ran away too quickly before I could snap a photo.
This shop is as official as it gets. The team behind Shockoe Atelier is friendly, super knowledgable and detail-oriented. The products are high-quality and very impressive and are sure to make any denim lover feel a sense of joy. For my locals, next time you’re in Shockoe Bottom, drop on in and tell them I sent you. I’d love to see what you think. For the online shoppers, you can’t really lose no matter what you pick.
Visit Shockoe Atelier’s official site here and be sure to follow them on Instagram, too.
Do you have a shop you’d like to see on Store Spotlight? Drop a comment below and let me know.
