American Denim
books denim head
books on American manufacturing
books on denim
books on jeans
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Category=AM
Cone Mills
documentary photography book
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Levi Strauss & Co.
made in America
Matt Sharkey
photo documentary
photo essays
reshoring
textile books
textile history
Product details
- ISBN 9780764369049
- Weight: 1501g
- Dimensions: 305 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 28 Aug 2025
- Publisher: Schiffer Publishing Ltd
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
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A photo essay that tells an American textile-manufacturing story in three parts: the final days of operation at the White Oak Mills in Greensboro, North Carolina; its closure; and its rebirth making selvage denim again, under the care of the White Oak Legacy Foundation and Proximity Manufacturing Company.
American Denim aims to preserve a unique property and a unique time in the history of American textiles. At one time the world’s largest denim mill, occupying more than a million square feet, you almost couldn’t see where the looms ended at the White Oak mill in Greensboro, North Carolina. Between 1915 and 1970, the lion’s share of denim produced for Levi Strauss & Co. was made there.
Photographer Matt Sharkey was the only person granted access to all three recent stages of the White Oak mill’s life:
• The last week of commercial production in December 2017
• Empty and vacated in February 2018
• Brought back to life in a small but mighty way in September 2022
Here is a layered history told through beautifully honest "portraits" that were captured with film, an analog process to honor analog manufacturing and those who worked, and work, at the mill.
American Denim aims to preserve a unique property and a unique time in the history of American textiles. At one time the world’s largest denim mill, occupying more than a million square feet, you almost couldn’t see where the looms ended at the White Oak mill in Greensboro, North Carolina. Between 1915 and 1970, the lion’s share of denim produced for Levi Strauss & Co. was made there.
Photographer Matt Sharkey was the only person granted access to all three recent stages of the White Oak mill’s life:
• The last week of commercial production in December 2017
• Empty and vacated in February 2018
• Brought back to life in a small but mighty way in September 2022
Here is a layered history told through beautifully honest "portraits" that were captured with film, an analog process to honor analog manufacturing and those who worked, and work, at the mill.
Matt Sharkey is a photographer located in Northern California’s Sonoma County. His primary subjects are people and places with a particular interest in holding on to moments in time. Preferring to work slowly and intentionally, he captures images almost exclusively with film.
