The Authentic American Denim Dream: Glenn's Denim x The Rake

For Glenn Liburd, denim has been a lifelong obsession. As a young man in Trinidad, he landed his first job in a local factory sewing jeans for oil workers and tradesmen. While the tough workwear initially appealed for its functionality, Glenn soon realised these rugged jeans symbolised something deeper — the uniquely American ideals of hard work, risk-taking and opportunity that his favourite cultural icons like cowboys, bikers and musicians embodied in movies. Glenn's decades-long pursuit of denim perfection has now joined The Rake Atelier collection, a curated offering to champion American denim heritage and uncompromised quality.

"The blue jeans represented to me everything I wanted to be," Glenn says. "I knew I wanted to make the world's best jeans and do it in the country where they were born — America." After honing his skills over 30 years, including training under a Savile Row trained tailor, in 2019, at age 62, Glenn's lifelong dream was realised with the launch of his namesake brand, Glenn's Denim. The collection takes inspiration from the denim culture of 1970s and 80s America when punks, hip-hop artists and avant-garde creatives in cities like New York and San Francisco adopted jeans as a blank canvas for self-expression.

With an encyclopedic knowledge of denim's rich heritage and decades of experience as a patternmaker and designer, Glenn creates an authentic American collection designed and manufactured in the USA. Each style is steeped in the workwear DNA of the country where denim was born and the underground movements that originally inspired the Trinidad native. "Glenn is the real deal — the best embodiment of what it means to be American," adds friend Daniel Lewis, co-founder of Brooklyn Tailors. "Glenn chose denim as his muse and life's focus because there's nothing more American than a great pair of jeans."

Glenn's meticulous process begins with extensive research into vintage pieces and cultural ephemera to inspire each new design. Using his training in hand tailoring, he meticulously drafts patterns, refined over the years to achieve the perfect fit. Finally, each garment is crafted by Glenn in his own NYC workroom using exclusive denim woven on vintage shuttle looms by some of the last remaining American and Japanese weavers. "I'm not about trends — I make the best possible jeans without compromise, staying true to my vision," Glenn states. "We use the finest fabrics and craft each piece with heart and soul right here in America."

While most denim production has moved overseas, Glenn's Denim is a truly American brand — an immigrant's story of hard work and the pursuit of an unwavering passion. With each unique pair of jeans, Glenn pays tribute to denim's star-spangled roots.