Blue jeans are as fundamentally American as apple pie. But with the country’s only industrial-scale selvedge mill heading for the auction block, the future of our most iconic fabric is at risk of extinction.
On April 9, the last great hope in American-made selvedge will be auctioned off in Vidalia, Louisiana. Presided over by the Concordia County Sheriff’s Department, Vidalia Mills will sell off its assets, including land, buildings, and equipment to cover more than $30 million in debt. Included in the auction, presumably, will be 40-some American Draper X3 shuttle looms purchased from the fabled Cone White Oak denim mill in Greensboro, North Carolina, following its closure in 2017. The auction marks the end of America’s only industrial-scale selvedge denim manufacturer, but it’s just the latest chapter in the decades-long struggle to keep the dream of American-made selvedge alive.
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