Sample - perfect condition. These shoes are final sale.
The sample yardages of 3X1 denim that is used in the Weft Out series by Opie Way for a limited number of vintage-inspired athletic sneakers was woven on antique Draper fly shuttle looms in Greensboro, North Carolina by Proximity Manufacturing Company in the Fall of 2021. You might be wondering, “why purple?” I quote Bob Ross in saying that this is a happy accident. When picking up package-dyed ringspun cotton yarn for the filling, Proximity eyed replicating some of the early denims woven at White Oak during the early 1900’s. From old references, there were not only white back denims, but also gold and red backs. Unfortunately the supplier didn’t have any shade of red available, and with the ongoing pandemic, supply wouldn’t be replenished soon, as most specialty yarn businesses have shrunk offering to stick around. The owner told us there were several packages of a purplish color, so we elected to try it, hoping it would be something more like a merlot. Instead, it was about as close to a Barney costume as it could possibly be. The face of the denim was beautifully murky, like a Van Gogh night sky. But it was the weft side (filling) of the cloth that really struck us.
We only wove one package of the purple filling yarn into the indigo warp, making this denim style very limited. 3x1 right hand twill, US-grown ringspun, rope-dyed indigo carded cotton warp and woven with ringspun carded and package dyed purple cotton filling, weighing about 12.25oz loomstate, flipped weft side out to yield a color and texture unlike any other shoe on the market.
We’re big fans of all things vintage, and love how Opie Way’s sneakers riff off of the classic sneakers of old, and we loved the purple Chuck Taylor Converse of the 70’s and 80’s, made in Lumberton, so this release really hits home for us.
Making a sneaker ain’t easy. Neither is weaving denim. So, it’s kind of cool to think that all of that is being done in North Carolina in 2021, and these sneakers are a representation of that combined effort: a true collaboration from the land of the long leaf pine.
Here’s your chance. Don't get left out, get Weft Out.
