PEOPLE OF INTEREST
The JEANS MAKER
BY SIOBHAN FITZPATRICK AUSTIN
Since he was a child, Jim Buckley
98
has appreciated fashion. “My
mother had great taste and
my grandfather was always
dapper,” says Buckley, who lives in
Vero Beach with his wife, Tiffany, and
their two children. When Buckley was
in his 20s, he spent time in New York
City doing a variety of jobs until he and
a friend opened their own business,
selling vintage clothes. They originally
sold abroad, where there was a huge
European market, but eventually
opened a small store in Manhattan. After
a few years Buckley moved to Atlanta,
a place he had called home on and off
throughout the years. There he opened
what became his flagship vintage
boutique store, Clothing Warehouse.
Eight years ago, Buckley left Atlanta
for Vero so his wife could be closer to
her parents and the whole family could
enjoy the sun and surf, but he retained
Clothing Warehouse, which he says
“basically runs itself.” About four years
ago, when Buckley was 48, he decided
to get back into the sartorial business,
this time in Vero, focusing exclusively
on men’s jeans. “I’ve always loved
jeans,” he says, but I only wanted to
make men’s jeans because women’s
jeans are more complicated. That, plus
there are too many high-end women’s
jeans on the market, too much competition
and too many styles. Women want
different things. Men are simpler.”
To keep it simple, he makes only
two kinds: slim fit and regular. Both
types are priced at $300, but Buckley
says his attention to detail makes them
worth it. “I think they are the best on
the market,” he said, adding that they
are on sale for $150 through Jan. 31.
The finer points of his jeans start with
the denim he uses that comes from the
same looms that made Levi’s denim 100
years go. “It is very rare and considered
the best denim in the world. They only
sell to a select group of jean makers and
I’m one of maybe a dozen,” he says.
The type of denim is called selvedge,
which comes from 28- to 31-inch shuttle
looms and takes more time to produce.
In the 1960s, most manufacturers,
including Levi’s, switched to faster,
more efficient looms that make fabric 72
ED DRONDOSKI PHOTOS
>>
Jim Buckley works
from his chic
studio in Vero.