RIGHT ON TRACK

Central Pacific Apparel is an American Made clothing project started in Redding California by Kevin Gustafson (me) and Chris Tippens at the beginning of 2020… just before everything went to shit. Who woulda thunk right?

Now I know what you’re thinking, why would you continue pursuing a denim company while there are articles titled “NOBODY IS WEARING DENIM ANYMORE” or “PEOPLE ONLY WANT SWEATPANTS”? Well the simple answer is we had nothing better to do. But the actual answer is that we have a passion for things made close to home. We believe it’s important to be connected to the people and places where goods are being made. With Chris’ experience in the clothing industry and my design background, we thought we had a pretty good set of skills to make something really cool in our home town. And we did.

At the end of 2020 we manufactured our first set of denim jackets in our home town. As we continue to learn and grow, we have moved most of our manufacturing to L.A. We are hoping to learn from the pros down south and once we are ready, move our manufacturing back home. The company is currently split between Redding CA and Austin TX as we attempt to build a brand that connects talent and products from across the states.

We take our name from the Central Pacific Railroad Company. Their contributions to the transcontinental railroad united the country literally and figuratively after the civil war. At the meeting of the east and west they drove a ceremonial golden spike into the tracks. In that same spirit we are adorning our end goal products with golden spikes as well. Products made in house will feature gold spikes and garments made elsewhere in the states will feature black spikes.

All in all, it’s about connection. Connection to our heritage, connection to our future, and connection to each other. With everything going on, I think it’s important that we start to take charge and build something better than we’ve been given. We hope to embody some universal American principles with every step we take, starting with the quality of goods we make and the way we conduct our business.

I know, corny.

Chris and I want to hear from you. If you have any questions or want to talk shop send us an email. HERE