Creating a clothing line that’s equal parts durable, stylish, and rugged is much easier conceptualized than realized. For Purnell co-founders Brita Womack and Brent Dehlsen, their path to starting an apparel brand that checked these boxes started with thinking about what they’d want to wear. Plain and simple. To their credit, the finished product is a passionately constructed range of long-lasting clothing fit for anyone.
Concerning the original ideas behind what eventually became Purnell, each founder culled inspiration from their own hectic lives. With Dehlsen’s background featuring extensive work utilizing harnesses and wrenches to work on wind turbines, he desired clothing that was comfortable and tough. In Womack’s corner, a rather crafty childhood shaped a creative spirit that led to her sewing her own clothes as a young woman. Later on, it was her experience as a busy mother who still cared about her style which formed her own desire to wear clothing that not only looked good but stood up to the rigors of daily life.
These separate yet similar paths led Womack and Dehlsen to officially unveil Purnell, a company keenly focused on delivering enduring and fashionable clothing for (as its site puts it) movers, makers, and innovators. Strolling through Purnell’s online catalog shows it’s firmly committed to this vision, offering a range of options capable of looking good in anyone’s closet but also prove to be tough as hell — trust us, we put its latest Possum knit beanie and Indigo Chambray shirt to the test and they did nothing but impress.
Though Womack and Dehlsen created the foundation of Purnell out of their own important style needs, the two quickly point to the influence a slew of prominent makers had (and continue to have) on their lasting business. From winemakers and coffee roasters to bicycle framers and architects, Purnell’s curated list of admirable makers showcases the exact kind of people Purnell was created for — i.e. those who take pride in what they do and work with passion.
As the brand gears up for the coming seasons, it’s clear Purnell’s focus remains on providing a line that’s lightweight, versatile, and constructed to as high a quality as Womack and Dehlsen know its customers deserve — they are their own customers, after all.
To take a look at Purnell’s entire collection, head on over to the brand’s website.
