We recently had the pleasure of taking a company field-trip to the Dehen facilities located right in here in Portalnd, Oregon. James Clark, the mastermind behind the revival of Dehen 1920 and resident expert of the brand was on hand to give us a personal tour of the production facility as well as share with us a great story filled with history and tradition.
Aside from the inherent historical and regional significance of the Dehen family, we have become increasingly curious about the production of the garments themselves as we too are involved in small scale manufacturing at Tanner Goods. It was remarkable to see a few of the same original machines Dehen has employed in their knit production for well over 50 years. The antique machines create a unique and highly sought after four-end jersey knit which is really quite striking to behold. Each sweater takes approximately three pounds of yarn to produce and features an extensively robust handle and finish. Also, the operation of the knitting machines themselves is somewhat archaic and It's safe to say there aren't many experts remaining that are capable of even running these machines efficiently. The four-end knit is unique to the Dehen brand and there isn't anyone else in North America with the capacity or know-how to produce knitted garments with the same quality or method and while it may be slower and more costly to produce a knit in this fashion, the trade off is unsurpassed quality and a unique product that is leaps and bounds above other similar knit garments. These items are intended to be worn for a lifetime or longer.
If you haven't yet had a chance, stop by our shop and see the Dehen collection for yourself. We think you too will begin to appreciate their products for what they really are - Heavy Duty, Old School Truth
