Eric Steffen makes customs jeans and denim goods in Brooklyn. In 2014, he quit his job in investment banking to make jeans full time. Since starting Fitted Underground, so named because he was literally fitting and making jeans alone in a Brooklyn basement, Eric’s company has grown to include additional workers and interns and he is now releasing seasons of ready to wear denim clothing in addition to maintaining the flagship bespoke denim offerings made on-site in Brooklyn. Eric is not only an excellent craftsman who makes fantastic jeans, but our conversations were critical encouragement as I began to lay the groundwork for Craft & Culture.
We discuss how Eric started in the craft, what makes a great pair of jeans and why they’re “the pants of the world,” what founding a bespoke clothing company takes, and why craft still matters in our AI future.
Sincere thanks to Eric Steffen.
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