In today's market, those of us who are involved in denim, be it as a consumer, designer, dealer, etc. know "Nudie" as a premium denim brand (http://www.nudiejeans.com/start). However, I have always known "Nudie" to be a man who created some pretty darned amazing western wear. As a little girl, my dad, being a cowboy at heart, tended to find his way to western wear shops. I would often tag along. We lived in the San Fernando Valley, not too far away from Nudie's shop on Lankershim Blvd. It was a cowboys heaven! Boots, shirts, jeans, ropes, saddles, suits...oh and did I mention, Nudie himself would often be there?! My dad, having the gift of gab, got to know Nudie on a friendly level. Me being an daydreaming horse-loving 5 year old, always wished to sit on one of those silver studded, hand tooled saddles. During one visit, I guess Nudie could see the desire in my eyes and told me I could climb on...which I did quite happily! I remember that day, there was a Country Western singer in the store playing guitar and singing. Nudie had on his iconic 2 different colored boots and a fancy suit and hat. It was a magical day! Even as a child, I recognized that there was something special about these experiences at Nudies store. Of course, years later, I came to know more about him and to appreciate the amazing person he was. Anyway, in memory of Nudie, the man and not the jeans, I wanted to share this story with you. Hope you enjoyed reading it!
Take a look here for the official Nudie website, as well as the Wiki entrance:
http://www.nudiesrodeotailor.com/bio_01.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudie_Cohn
The Selvedge Yard blog has a nice article and photos about Nudie:
http://theselvedgeyard.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/nudie-cohn-rhinestone-cowboy/
Cheers!
