This clothing company leans into its heritage with jeans named for NC locations
North Carolina towns, cities and counties could make their way into the national lexicon if a reincarnated jeans manufacturer based in Zebulon continues its aggressive expansion.
Every pair of jeans from Devil-Dog Dungarees has a distinctive hallmark. Every wash, or color, is named for North Carolina locations.
There are 10 in its current lineup, including Durham (dark indigo), Clayton (with whiskering on front) and the best-selling Burke (vintage indigo).
“When we decided to relaunch Devil-Dog, North Carolina had to be part of the association and all of our marketing and, of course, our jeans,” said Sean Connelly, vice president of men’s merchandising and sales for General Sportswear, a subsidiary of New York’s General Sportwear Company.
The Devil-Dog clothing line was first introduced in 1948, when General Sportwear’s founder, Louis Rosenstock — a World War I veteran — committed to making trousers “tough as a Marine.”
“’Devil Dog’ is the nickname for the Marines,” said Jeff Rosenstock, Louis’ grandson and one of the company’s current owners. “World War II had just ended, and my grandfather really wanted to create a brand of jeans that would really stand for durability and strength and value.”
In 1951, manufacturing began at a production facility in Zebulon. But Devil-Dog jeans faded from General Sportwear’s product line sometime in the 1960s, Rosenstock said. After a decades-long hiatus, the company relaunched its heritage jeans in 2019, shortly before the pandemic began.
“Now we’re back, and it’s really taking off,” Connelly said.
The pants are no longer manufactured in Zebulon. Two company-owned facilities in Central America see the jeans through production.
But the original Zebulon site still serves as the company’s distribution center from which shipments leave for Nordstrom and Dillard’s locations, plus 150 specialty stores across the country.
Jeans named for NC locations
Five new options — Collins, Delmar, Powells, Highlands and Wilkinson — will be available in the spring when the company expands into a “lifestyle brand,” adding T-shirts, hoodies, crew necks, jackets and buttoned-down shirts to its offerings.
“When we say lifestyle brand, what we mean is, ‘What’s all the other stuff you would wear with your jeans?’” Rosenstock said. “We’re going to bring customers the whole package.”
Devil-Dog jeans are $79 a pair and offer some designer-quality features, Rosenstock said.
“We really distinguish ourselves in the performance aspect,” he said. “They’re all stretch, and they’re all about having great recovery and comfort and, of course, durability with great style.”
This story was originally published November 17, 2021 at 8:15 AM.
