On a tip from a friend, I drove east from my college campus toward Columbus (Ohio) to an Army Surplus store with a rare stash of Authentic WWII issue khakis. Not only were they the best khakis I had ever found, they represented a forgotten piece of Americana. This was the inspiration for Bills Khakis, a trunk of the car start-up that put me in the khaki business over 35 years ago.
I have always believed in authenticity as a core value and enjoyed the challenge of finding commercial viability in that ideal. In 2022, I found myself inspired again, but not in exactly the same way. Times were different. Styles had changed, people had changed. I had changed. But my principles had not.
We describe PennBilt as “The New Authentic.” The best of old and new. Our branding evokes an American aesthetic with mid-20th-century vibes. Our products are designed to 21st-century standards in fit, fabrication and design detail.
Over the past 10 years, there has been a major shift in what guys wear, especially to work. Nowhere is this more prevalent than the financial industry. Not long ago, the corporate ladder was climbed wearing a suit and tie - in other words, one dressed like they intended to spend the day at the office. Today, the script has flipped. One arrives to work in the morning dressed like they plan to spend the afternoon on the golf course.
PennBilt lines up with this new code of dress without trying to be something it’s not. We feel more at home in natural fibers than polytec materials. We’re inspired by American design rather than European. If this sounds like you, PennBilt is both an update and an upgrade. To be authentic is to be yourself.