By Denim Therapy / Source: DenimTherapy

We knew Mr.Harrell’s jeans long before we met the man inside of them. His love of preserving vintage denim brought many pairs of his into our hands. It was through this mutual passion that at long last we were able to meet Donwan. We recently had the opportunity to visit his studio in midtown and talk shop.

Harell’s strong taste for nostalgia makes him our kind of designer. He has amassed an impressive denim collection over the years, as well as stacks of Japanese denim magazines, action figures and American ephemera. He has a particular penchant for vintage Lee’s. While talking in his office we learned that JCPenney had its own selvedge brand called Ranch Craft that copycatted Lee’s. Thinking back to a time when department stores carried their own selvedge lines kind of blew our minds.

When we arrived at his office his crew was getting ready for trunk shows in Vegas. We got a glimpse of the new PRPS line at Liberty Fairs and we got an even better peek of the new PRPS Noir line at his studio. The washes Harrell designs are inspired by real pairs of old jeans. PRPS stands for purpose. Harrell strives to mimic the personality of aged jeans, mimicking the tiniest flecks of oil to stress marks all derived from the original purpose of workwear, from real movements of auto mechanics on their knees or painters on scaffolding.

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