Originally Published: New York Magazine • October 19, 2012
When Glenn Beck launched his own line of jeans earlier this week, the conservative radio host talked on air about how “American” they were and released an ad thick with patriotic images. But Beck’s ideology and mania for brand extension alone do not explain the new venture. It turns out he’s just really into denim.
For his own legs, Beck has been known to go for the high-end raw stuff, the kind you wear for six months without washing till the fabric conforms to your body. “Whenever we see each other, we’ll say, ‘Oh, wow, yours are breaking in really awesome,’ ” says Tim DiDonato, Beck’s 27-year-old son-in-law, whom Beck tapped as his designer. For 1791 Supply & Co. Denim, as the brand is called, Beck had another variety of denim in mind. “You have to find selvage,” Beck told him. Beck said, “When I grew up, we had selvage, and it was this unwashed jean, and we broke them in ourselves.”