California Apparel News

As a military veteran–led brand that manufactures its goods in the United States, the Los Angeles–based denim label Trinidad3 has established itself as a source of pride in the industry and throughout the country. Following the well-received collection of New American Selvedge jeans that launched on July 4 through a partnership with Louisiana textile maker Vidalia Mills, Trinidad3 is once again nodding to the roots of its founder, former United States Marine Corps sergeant Trinidad Garcia III, by incorporating love for the men and women who serve the country. The launch of its holiday 2020 collection, its largest collection in the brand’s history, is launching on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, along with news of celebrity ambassadors and partnerships with retailers.

“It was a long road to get here, but it gives me such huge excitement to see everyone joining the team. We’re so grateful to be able to show why we’re doing this and even more so now with the addition of more comfortable and athletic stretch styles going out the door faster than we can craft them! It’s pretty crazy, to be honest,” Garcia III said. “Add on our holiday-only jackets and the upcoming collaborations with “Mayans” on FX star Vincent Vargas’ Beteran.com and the chance to debut on Nordstrom.com this season, I cannot wait to see what the rest of this season holds.”

Following a successful debut of its Fall 2020 collection at the Dallas Market Center in August, the brand built off the momentum it experienced during the show. Joe Lafko, Trinidad3’s managing partner and a USMC veteran, was touched by the enthusiasm of retailers to work with a brand that supports brethren who have served in the armed forces. The denim maker now counts among its partners Moorman Clothiers, Granger Owings, Untucked OBX, L.E. & Chalk, Harley’s for Men, GRAE Clothing, Kinkade’s Fine Clothing and Franklin Road Apparel, with the brand’s goods selling out at one point as demand skyrocketed.

“It’s been pretty humbling and exciting to see retailers grasp on to our mission of supporting our vets and run with it. I am stoked we’re able to get them a huge resupply for the holiday season so we can keep the collective momentum flowing!” Lafko said. “Now, more than ever, I am glad they’ve had the chance to have something special and exclusive to be able to offer their customers.”

The collection includes jeans and T-shirts in new colors for holiday, in addition to the new Luke Mother Trucker Jacket. This piece is a fresh Trinidad3-style take on the classic denim jacket in black-rinse, steel-wash, raw, dark-wash and vintage-wash selvedge. Another facet of the collection is its more-sustainable approach to denim production, as Trinidad3 applies lessons Garcia III learned during his time spent serving in the armed forces.

“It’s something we’ve heard talked a lot about, so we felt it was time to show just how we’re able to achieve it with aligned sourcing, minimal waste and a consolidated supply chain,” Garcia III explained. “We had a general rule while I was on active duty and that was, ‘Leave everywhere you go better than it was before you got there,’ and I feel this is carrying over to our design and production process. It also reminds us of how sustaining the lives of our veterans is a pillar of our own mission in sustainability as the human element as shouldn’t be ignored.”