Mack Weldon Introduces Denim With Antimicrobial Properties – WWD

Mack Weldon is the latest brand to enter the jeans market.

Following Faherty, Shinola and Fair Harbor, the men’s essentials brand is launching a denim collection this fall that focuses on comfort and sustainability.

Mack Weldon boasts that his denim line is the first pair of jeans to have Ionic+ Silver woven into the fabric. The brand’s promotional materials state: “These jeans are designed to keep your legs fresher longer and less frequent trips to the washing machine.”

Mack Weldon was founded in 2012 by Brian Berger and Michael Isaacman as an e-commerce provider of men’s socks and underwear. Since then, the brand has expanded beyond these two categories to a variety of other men’s essentials such as high-tech pants, polos, suit shorts and swimwear.

Now the company whose mission is to reinvent basics has turned its attention to jeans.

“It fits with our strategy to evolve from an ‘Essentials’ brand to an ‘Essentials’ brand,” said Berger. “And denim is an essential building block in a man’s wardrobe.”

Customer response to Mack Weldon’s product expansions gave the company the confidence to expand into denim. But Berger said the goal is to create more than just another pair of jeans. Instead of building something complicated or fashionable, he tried to simplify the experience by working with Cone Denim and Noble Biomaterials, the inventor of Ionic+ Silver, a naturally self-cleaning antimicrobial treatment that permanently bonds 99.9 percent pure silver to the fabric to save less on smell.

In the past, the company has used the fabric for its underwear, polos and T-shirts. When used in jeans for the first time, it helps remove odor-causing microbes, meaning the jeans need to be washed less often. “We were the first to bring it to market in underwear and thought it was the perfect application for denim,” Berger said. “For many denim enthusiasts, washing their jeans is not desirable.”

Aside from the fabric, Mack Weldon jeans are washed during production with an ozone rinse, which combines oxygen with water vapor and reduces water usage in the production process. “It also allows us to maintain a consistent color,” Berger said.

The first launch will be small – a slim, straight-leg model in two colors, indigo or black, with “more to come,” he said. “We believe that less is more.” The jeans will be 10 ounces with 10 percent stretch and 8 percent silver and will feature powder-coated and matte buttons and rivets as well as taped pocket seams for increased comfort with less bulk.

The collection will launch on Tuesday and retail for $128.

Mack Weldon still generates most of its business from its direct sales operations, but also operates six stores, including flagships, in New York City and Boston. Berger said the company is testing two stores in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Deer Park, NY. The line is also carried at Bloomingdale’s, Dillard’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Von Maur and specialty stores such as Mitchells and Richards.

Berger said his goal is to “slowly and steadily expand our footprint” through the addition of wholesale accounts from Mack Weldon stores. As for product, he plans to expand into fleece and outerwear in addition to denim this fall.