While most clothing labels follow the latest trends or aim to make new ones, Rockmount Ranch Wear is content with the Western style it fashioned nearly 80 years ago.

Its Lower Downtown shop — showcasing the Western wear it spread around the world — is filled with embroidered denim shirts, flashy belt buckles, silk scarves, bolo ties and a grand wall of cowboy hats.

“We don’t look at anybody else for our inspiration. We are very much on our own path and very much based on our roots,” said Steve Weil, Rockmount’s third-generation CEO and chief creative officer, from his desk on the loft overlooking the store at 1626 Wazee St.

The Western fashion brand based in Denver has been worn by many famous celebrities such as Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan. The creators of Academy-Award winning film Brokeback Mountain bought dozens of Rockmount shirts to adorn its stars Anne Hathaway, Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. It’s also been a favorite of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

There was a time when Rockmount found out their products were featured in a new T.V. show or movie occasionally, Steve said, but now the calls from stars and producers are frequent.

Yet Rockmount doesn’t only want to dress the biggest names in the world. Steve said it’s meant for anyone who wants to express their individuality — in Western fashion, of course.

“Whether you’re a granddaughter, or a grandfather, a rock star, or a truck driver, we hope we have something that appeals to you,” he said. “Because let’s face it, it’s a free country and nobody wants to look the same.”

Heading into Rockmount’s 80th anniversary, it’s a tradition he plans to continue shepherding.

HISTORY OF DENVER’S COWBOY FASHION COMPANY

Rockmount was founded in 1946 by Steve’s grandfather. 

Jack A. Wiel was the “king of cowboy couture,” the New York Times wrote in 2008 after he died at the age of 107. 

He helped globalize Western fashion out of his five-story building in Denver, creating signature cowboy-esque shirts with diamond-shaped snaps and sawtooth pockets. His obituary not only credited him for putting snaps on Western shirts, but also named him as a pioneer in mass-producing bolo ties. 

His son Jack B. Weil joined the company in 1954 and is credited for spreading Western fashion eastward, across the Mississippi River.

Rockmount was primarily a wholesaler for most of its history. But in 2005, it opened a retail store at its headquarters at 1626 Wazee St. to grow a more direct relationship with consumers at a time when online shopping was redefining the industry. 

KEEPING ITS ORIGINAL WESTERN SPIRIT

Steve, who now runs the business, began working with his father and his grandfather in 1981. He’s helped grow the Rocky Mountain fashion company into an international brand.

He started designing for Rockmount in the 1990s and later took over the creative aspect of the business as his designs grew into best sellers.

On his desk, Steve had a denim western shirt with embroidered red flowers he was working to prepare for a retail trade show as a new addition to their line up.

His design process is “very organic,” he said. “Every day is a new day.” 

“We have a different approach to design than most companies,” Steve explained. “We build on our foundation. And we have certain looks that we originated, and they very much inform the way we go.”

He often pulls from Rockmount’s archives to do revival designs, he said, always tweaking the vintage style to give it a fresh look. Back in the day, not many people sold denim western shirts with embroidered patterns. Now it’s one of their most popular items.

Rockmount doesn’t follow the fashion seasons, but releases new items as the year goes on, he said. Because it’s a smaller business, it can introduce new clothes within weeks. They pay attention to some trends, but wait to get a good customer response before fully committing to anything.

“We’re not about a costume…. They’re fine for once in a while, but lifestyle is something you wear every day. That’s what we’re about,” Steve said.

In his newest book, “Rockmount Legends: Celebrities in Classic American Fashion,” Steve details the 80-year history of the business and how it influenced pop culture’s Western style. It features archive photos and the book is set to release in April, he said, though pre-orders on Amazon are currently set for May 19.

Denver has inspired Rockmount’s style, probably as much as Rockmount has defined the city’s style. In 2006, Denver renamed the LoDo street where Rockmount was founded and still stands today to “Jack A. Weil Blvd.”

For the National Western Stock Show’s 120th anniversary, Rockmount partnered with Denver’s annual festival of livestock and Western culture with a limited-edition wildrag and tie.

From its mountains to outdoor lifestyle, Steve said these differences are what makes Denver special from other places and it needs to be celebrated.

“Nothing bores me more than homogenized culture,” Steve said. “I’m all about distinctive design.”

As a company, he added they’re not “addicted” to growth. Yes, Rockmount needs to stay profitable and has reinvented itself periodically. But the business is also fine with keeping things as they are as much as possible.

If it works, it works.

“We’ve been successful for many years,” Steve said. “And we have every expectation that will continue indefinitely.”