I Finally Found My Grail Denim Jacket! The Atelier la Durance Royal Jacket. 

Instagram: @cee.are.dee
Twitter: @ropedye
Facebook: ropedye/
Web: www.ceearedee.com
Getting this jacket would not have been possible without the help of the wonderful Nina. She’s a denimhead through and through. Head over to her Instagram and give her a follow. She has way more style and flair than me ;) She also has way more jeans than all of us combined.
ninazurhaar
For whatever reason, there are some incredible denim brands that we’ve lost over the years. Atelier LaDurance is just such a brand.
It was one of the OGs of the raw denim revival in Europe and must have been one of the first European raw denim brands. ADL got its start in 2002 and ran for a decade. The last collection being seen around 2012 or 2013. To be honest, I am unsure of what happened to the brand. Over the 10 years it existed, it had some hardcore fans. But it also had a very “you love it or you hate it” vibe about it. And I will be honest when I first saw it. I hated it!
2012 was around the time I was just getting into this raw denim thing. I saw their jeans, jackets and accessories in the 14oz store way back then. I just didn’t get it. It was too much. Too much bling, too many details, too much going on. But the simple fact was, I didn't understand what Gerard Backx, the founder of Atelier LaDurance was creating.
The pieces pulled on so many references to denim history, workwear and a little french culture thrown in there for good measure. All this with a healthy dose of flair and contemporary thinking towards denim. But at the heart of the Atelier LaDurance pieces were their fades. These things were made to fade.
All the blingy details that first turned me off to the brand tone down and bed in as the garment is worn. The hidden cross detailing on the pockets reveal themselves as the denim sheds its indigo. The gold hardware becomes much more in keeping and much less stark against the lighter denim. Mr Backx understood how denim fades and built his collection around this.
Over the years the brand always stuck in my mind. I have seen a number of examples over the years but they are rare and getting rarer, especially the jackets.
To find one in this condition (almost brand spanking new) is incredible. Getting this jacket has been a long term ambition of mine. Diving into the details hands-on was a total treat!