Created in the shadow of the Grand Teton mountain range in the small town of Jackson Hole, Rocky Mountain Featherbed’s life started in the 1960’s to keep the working men of Wyoming warm. Favoured by Dude Ranchers for their heat retention when out on cattle runs in the vast plains or to keep Jackson Hole’s harsh winters at bay, RMFB’s down vests quickly became an essential piece of kit.
The allure of these colourful vests alongside their Western yoke, attracted tourists who came to Jackson Hole to enjoy the great outdoors and could be seen on trendy skiers and hikers alike. Rocky Mountain’s popularity lasted until the 80’s when they seemed to fall out of fashion and into obscurity.
Thankfully, our Japanese friends from 35 SUMMERS, under the guidance of Kinji Teramoto, resurrected this pioneering brand in 2005, after years spent travelling the US and collecting vintage examples.
Last October we were lucky enough to visit Kinji San at the 35 SUMMERS head office in Tokyo, where he took us through his vast collection of vintage RMFB, from Vests to Mountain Parkas, DSS jackets to a very special ‘Duster’ Coat in Duck Canvas.
During this visit we picked out two new colourways for our latest collaboration. We were immediately drawn to two colourways, Pine Green x Orange and Blue x Purple, they reminded us of those early days of the brand and the holidaying Americans keeping warm whilst fishing or skiing in Jackson Hole.
A vintage Rocky Mountain Featherbed vest from our archive alongside the new version.