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The Prologue V3 in 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim
The Prologue V3 in 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim
The Prologue V3 in 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim
The Prologue V3 in 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim
The Prologue V3 in 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim
The Prologue V3 in 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim
The Prologue V3 in 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim
The Prologue V3 in 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim
The Prologue V3 in 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim
The Prologue V3 in 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim
The Prologue V3 in 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim
The Prologue V3 in 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim
The Prologue V3 in 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim
The Prologue V3 in 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim
The Prologue V3 in 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim
The Prologue V3 in 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim
The Prologue V3 in 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim

The IS Experimental and Extraordinary Division

The Prologue V3 in 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim

Sale price $290.00

Size
Size guide

RELEASING APRIL 15th at 8pm EDT for Pre-Order. Estimated ship date is 06/01/26.

Well, we've finally done it! We made our OWN selvedge denim in the U.S.A. (Pennsylvania, to be exact) with the help of Tuscarora Mills. It took us 15+ months, a ton of trail and error, multiple prototypes, new yarns, and a whole lot of headaches (this is part of the reason we haven't released anything for a year), but would you look at that? Denim! Our goal was simple, cook up a slubby, character rich denim in the ol' US that we felt could compete with any other fancy-dancy denim out there. Our flagship.
So, we bring to you our 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim (V1), the first of its name! Our denim is thick but not overly heavy (13.5oz), soft, and a bit like molasses in handfeel, that is to say it feels almost "wet". Our patternmaker said the denim almost feels like a rubber. That, my friends, is because of a wacky bit of construction.
The warp (blue) yarns of our denim are plied. Two seperate slub yarns spun together to form a very wavy and slubby "mega" yarn. That, combined with the twist of the yarns used, the weaving density, and the fact that we gave this unsanforized fabric a rinse before it got to you made it what it is today. A first!
We had to toss in a special patch to commemorate this moment. Pictured is what Tuscarora, myself, our pattern maker, and our manufacturer all did to the 2-Ply garments at one point in this process. Stared at them and thought: "I hope this works."
Carbon-neutral shipping on all orders
Snail Streamline Icon: https://streamlinehq.com

What is our Primordial Line?

You’re currently viewing our Primordial line of clothing. With the Primordial line comes more premium fabrics, details, and features that far exceed the grade of standard garments. In the case of our Prologue, we are using our proprietary 13.5oz 2-Ply Organic Snail denim woven in Pennsylvania and a scarlet red moleskin fabric for our pocket linings.

Selvedge denim is made via a shuttle loom and is a self-finished fabric, meaning it doesn’t fray in its unsewn state. It’s typically hallmarked by a white selvedge line at the fabric’s edge and a red ticker, as seen here. Selvedge denim is much slower to produce and only comes in half-width (a roll of fabric is half the width of what’s more commonly used today), which means it’s typically around four times more expensive than its wide-width, non-selvedge counterpart, although prices can vary greatly. Selvedge denim harkens back to the old days of denim making but stopped being the dominant denim in the 1980s when the far more efficient projectile loom took over. However, a slower, lower-yielding process that produces a cleaner and more interesting product naturally attracts craftsmen and artists, particularly in Japan—though fantastic denim is made worldwide. Japanese denim mills originally set out to create perfect recreations of vintage, hard-to-find denim, but soon the culture morphed beyond recreation into an art form. Now, selvedge denim is where we find crazy textures, heavier fabric weights, fascinating dyeing techniques, obsessive attention to detail, and of course, a cleaner, more finished look. The world of selvedge denim is a rabbit hole! Welcome to the party!

Moleskin is a truly wonderful fabric. It’s a type of twill, heavily brushed on one side, with a short nap—think velvety and suede-like. It’s been used for centuries in workwear, formal wear, military wear, and everything in between. It's much more popular in Europe than in the U.S., and we've chosen it as a subtle nod to vintage workwear from overseas. Beyond the nod, it’s incredibly robust, slightly insulating, soft as a bunny, and quite rich. When we make chore coats (often crafted from moleskin), perhaps we'll hide a little denim somewhere. Our main goal here is for someone to say, “Good golly! What has he gots in his pockets?!”

Specs at a Glance

- 13.5oz 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim
- Made in USA
- Leather Patch from RJF Leather
- Scarlet Moleskin Lined Pockets
- Winged Darts
- Passport Pockets

The Tale

Each and every piece made by The Iron Snail comes with its own tale, henceThe Tale of The Iron Snail.The Prologue is where it all began for us, and not coincidentally, the story. Your Prologue will come with a small booklet — contained in the booklet is, of course,The Prologue, but also, a care guide on how to best treat your denim.

The Moleskin Lined Pockets

Off the stormy shores of France and England came Europe's alternative to denim: moleskin. Moleskin is a workwear fabric that is not from a mole at all, but its rich and velvety texture reminded someone of a mole. Worn by outdoorsmen, workers, and even WWII military personnel, moleskin is one of those magical fabrics that is durable, insulating, comfortable, and incredibly beautiful. It’s for that reason you’ll see moleskin used equally in workwear, military wear, and formal wear. Ideally, the first thing you or anyone else says when they plunge their hands into the Prologue’s pockets is: “Oh, wow.” That’s the goal, anyway. The two handwarmer pockets on the Prologue are lined with lightweight red moleskin, whisked over to us from the very shores where it originated.

Note: pictured is the V2 Prologue. The pocket fabric is the same. This image will be updated shortly.

The Denim

From cotton to fabric, the 2-Ply Organic Snail Denim is miUSA. The fiber was spun in North Carolina, dyed in North Carolina, woven in Pennsylvania, and rinsed in California.

The project originally started with the slogan “Japanese Denim Made in America,” but I realized that made absolutely no sense and people wouldn’t get it. Still, the idea behind it stuck.

The 2-Ply Snail Denim is the start of a larger R&D project we’re initiating and funding. We’ve brought in a small team of collaborators, brands, and manufacturers to help push it forward. It’s just a baby right now—but if we can get it some legs, it’ll be walking in no time.

This run of fabric was far more difficult than I could’ve imagined. It held up the entire Snail brand, so we’ll need to use other fabrics in between Snail denim drops. But still. We're on our way.

The Leather Patch

At the request of Mr. Harker, our patchmaker, these patches are made from RJF leather in Pennsylvania, specifically Chestnut Bridle

In his words:

"RJF is in Pennsylvania and I saw they had a chestnut bridle, AND Tuscarora Mills is ALSO in PA so it felt like providence. I like underdogs and wanted to support a smaller tannery and ended up absolutely loving the leather."

Mr. Harker was on the case for our patches for the first time this year and we did some overhauling. We rounded the corners to protect them from bending, added stitch channels to protect the sewing, and made it a point to find leathers that could hold up a little better to modern washing.

Now With Wings

The typical "v-darts" you'd see on a Type III denim jacket are awesome, and quite iconic. However, as shown by jackets throughout the years, you can construct them a little different and get a great little bonus.

Instead of using a typical felled seam construction, our "darts" are "pinched-and-sewn" for lack of a better way to describe this. The chest pockets lock the sewing down and make sure they lay flat when not under tension. However, when under tension, those "darts" fling up like the wings of a dragonfly and give you a little bit more room to play.

I've been calling them wings. You don't have to call them that, don't worry.

The Passport Pocket

While frolicking through the airport one day, my passport plopped onto the ground by my feet. Not a problem. I picked that bugger right back up. However, my system of travel through the airport was a common frustration. I wore a jacket, I put my airline tickets in, my baggage tickets in, my AirPods in, my phone in, my passport, Taylor’s phone, Taylor’s passport, and whatever else in all of the pockets. Then, after a while, I'd take my jacket off. Too warm. A.k.a. I use my jacket as a faux bag when traveling, and really wanted some pockets I could fasten closed when I took the jacket off and carried it by my side. So, we put them on the Prologue! Two big-ol’ patch pockets sewn against the dump pockets inside of the beast. Now my passport and Taylor’s passport and her chapstick and her wallet are safe.

The Maine Fit

The Prologue V3 has under gone three major changes thus far. We've tweaked the fit each time. The V3's fit is roomier all around, a much more classic workwear silhoutte meant to be worn for as much time as possible during the year. If you order true to size, you should be able to layer a sweatshirt under the Prologue and still feel comfortable. This was done due to me now living in Maine where it's cold all the time, traveling to different climates frequently and wanting to take my favorite jacket, and the rigidity of the fabrics we use lending a sharp look to the Prologue even if it's cut slightly larger.

Note: always check your measurements, but know that you may be able to size down one for a slimmer fit.