The 119th annual National Western Stock Show is in full swing! But here in Colorado, our cowboy-centric style is a year-round tradition. No brand embodies this Wild West aesthetic more than Rockmount Ranchwear, a company that has been outfitting ranchhands, politicians, and everyday Denverites for more than 75 years.
A Weil Family Tradition
Started by Jack “Papa Jack” Weil in 1946, Rockmount Ranchwear began as a manufacturer and wholesaler of Western wear — in particular, the now-famous snap front Western-style shirt. In 2005, the family expanded the business to include retail, opening up the first floor of their iconic manufacturing building in LoDo as a storefront. Papa Jack ran the company until he passed away in 2008 at 107 years old. Today, his grandson Steve still runs the show, which has become a must-visit destination for Denver visitors. Beyond the classic cowboy shirt, Rockmount also makes and sells dresses, ponchos, jackets, and belts in men’s, women’s, and children’s sizes.
Inventor of the Snap Front
Papa Jack is credited with inventing the snap front Western shirt — a take on the classic men’s dress shirt, but with snaps instead of buttons, that can be found in signature flashy fabric patterns or with unique embroidered embellishments on the cuffs and collar. Though the shirts are now worn by musicians, politicos, and movie stars (and definitely count as formal attire here in Colorado, anyway), Papa Jack’s intent with the snap button design was originally to prevent cowboys’ shirts from ripping if they got caught on a steer’s horn. The shirt is so iconic to the story of the west that Rockmount Ranchwear is even exhibited at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History!
Rockmount’s Place in Pop Culture
Prior to opening the Rockmount Ranchwear’s own storefront, Papa Jack was a wholesaler, mostly unaware that many people beyond cowboys were the ones buying his shirt designs. When grandson Steve took over, he began cataloging all the famous people and places the design was appearing. Turns out, the snap front shirt had been popular with all sorts of folks nearly since its invention — appearing on the big screen as early as 1961 on Clark Gable and Montgomery Clift in “The Misfits” and, much later, on Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in “Brokeback Mountain.” Musicians like Robert Plant, Miley Cyrus, Bob Dylan, Avett Brothers, and Florence and the Machine have also been seen in this classic cowboy brand that is iconically Colorado.
Special thanks to Esquire Magazine, Westword, Denver Life Magazine, and The New York Times for their reporting on this topic.
