Pendleton for Opening Ceremony provided by Opening Ceremony

It was a visit to my local source for vintage last fall that tripped my trend-alert switch. Alongside the coterie of 50s cocktail dresses (season three of "Mad Men" was still in play) was an entire rack dedicated to Pendleton Woolen Mills patterns. These weren’t just the long-sleeved, grunge-era plaids that never really lost purchase in this southern hamlet of Athens, Georgia, but a much broader array of their classic wool designs and pieces.  “Why Pendleton? Why now?” I drilled the shop-owner.  Her response, “All the musicians say it’s big in Japan.”

Turns out the shop was on to something. Soon after having admired the boutiques carefully edited selection—in particular a 70s jacket in an obscure, Navajo pattern—I read about Pendleton’s collaboration with the ultra-hip, international retail chain, Opening Ceremony. According to Linda Parker, the womenswear communications director for Pendleton, it was on a trip to Japan that Humberto Leon, co-owner of Opening Ceremony, noted the popularity of American heritage brands like Pendleton on the streets and subsequently reached out to Pendleton’s president, Mort Bishop III. “Frankly, we were surprised!” says Parker, “but the fit between our two companies has been fantastic.”

Few lines are connected to the history of the country like Pendleton, whose first product off the loom in 1909 was an Indian trade blanket. “Some of our patterns that have enjoyed perennial popularity are the Chief Joseph design, which honors the famous Nez Perce chief, and the Harding jacquard, designed in 1923 for an Oregon visit by the United States President, Warren G. Harding,” says Parker. Menswear came 15 years after the blankets and womenswear was introduced in 1949.

Pendleton for Opening Ceremony provided by Opening Ceremony

“It makes people feel good about American designers and rediscovering this part of fashion that had been forgotten,” Parker says.  “Plus, the quality is just really desirable, too. It really makes you feel as though you’re purchasing a treasure." Since the Opening Ceremony launch, the Portland-based company, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, has announced other partnerships, including Nike, Hurley and the high-end Japanese label, Comme des Garçons. The new partnerships have provided a different perspective for the products and reached a new generation of consumers.

But it was last month New York, under the snow-blanketed tents of Bryant Park and on the streets, where chic, Fashion Week revelers wrapped in Pendleton prints solidified that the rugged, American heritage look represented not only by Pendleton, but also by brands like Woolrich, Carhartt and Filson, is having a major moment.

Christene Barberich, Editorial Director of shopping and style blog Refinery29 credits much of the renewed interest in iconic American brands to consumer disenchantment with buying things that are made overseas. "It makes people feel good about American designers and rediscovering this part of fashion that had been forgotten. Plus, the quality is just really desirable, too. It really makes you feel as though you're purchasing a treasure."

So how does the trend fare on eBay? Turns out Pendleton sales are on the rise. In the past month, there were $161,180 in sales of items with the listing term "Pendleton" and 12,936 items listed. That's an 8% jump in sales and a 19% increase in items listed compared to the prior 30 day period. 

PENDLETON PICKS ON EBAY

1. Men's Vintage Pendleton Wool Blue Plaid 49er Jacket (winning bid, $31) A Pendleton classic, this vintage 49-er jacket has three front patch pockets in a vibrant teal blue, red, grey and green plaid.  2. Pendleton Wool Hat (winning bid, $4.10) For a dandy man, a  blue and green tartan vintage Pendleton fedora.  3. Vintage Chief Joesph Pendleton Indian Print Camp Blanket (but it now price, $189)  4. Pendleton Southwestern Design Dopp Bag (buy it now price, $48) Pendleton’s shoulder dopp bag in a bold southwest design is a cool girl’s catchall.   5. Pendleton Wool Pillow Blanket With Cream Tan Brown (sold for $34) Line a day bed with a pile of pillows like this one in a cream, tan and brown Pendleton patterns.