What happens when the system collapses, and you decide to build something meaningful with your hands?

In this episode of Jeansland, Andrew sits down with Pete Roberts, founder of Origin, the American brand making jeans, boots, and apparel entirely on U.S. soil. After the 2008 recession upended his life and wiped out his business, Pete was left with a timber-frame cabin in the woods of Maine, two young kids, and no clear way forward. So he and a group of friends and family cut down Eastern white pines from the surrounding woods and hand-built a sturdy wooden workshop—barn-sized and framed with massive 10x10 timbers—where they powered up a generator, scavenged old sewing machines, and stitched a new future—one garment at a time.

But this isn’t a story about recovery. It’s about direction. From a redesigned jiu-jitsu gi to a full-scale denim operation, Pete has spent the last 15 years reclaiming the machines, knowledge, and spirit of domestic manufacturing—while shaping a 100-year plan to build something lasting, local, and real.

If you’ve ever wondered what it means to start over on purpose, and do it all by hand, this one’s for you.

Guest: Pete Roberts, founder of Origin USA

In this powerful two-part conversation, Andrew Olah welcomes back Umer Farooq Qureshi for a deep dive into the structural imbalances plaguing the denim supply chain. Framed by the enduring legacy of colonial capitalism, the discussion explores how suppliers have been conditioned to act like beggars in pursuit of orders — and how that mindset must shift. Together, they challenge conventional wisdom on pricing, power, partnerships, and trade shows, while calling for a new era of unity, dignity, and bold reinvention.

Did you know that both Berkshire Hathaway and Samsung started in textiles and went on to reinvent themselves entirely? So what’s stopping today’s denim suppliers from doing the same? Why should mills settle for scraps when companies like Loro Piana and Zegna showed how textile makers can build global luxury brands?

This is a rare, brutally honest conversation about uncomfortable truths and how facing them might just be the first step toward a better future for the industry.

Connect with Umer Farooq Qureshi

In this powerful two-part conversation, Andrew Olah welcomes back Umer Farooq Qureshi for a deep dive into the structural imbalances plaguing the denim supply chain. Framed by the enduring legacy of colonial capitalism, the discussion explores how suppliers have been conditioned to act like beggars in pursuit of orders — and how that mindset must shift. Together, they challenge conventional wisdom on pricing, power, partnerships, and trade shows, while calling for a new era of unity, dignity, and bold reinvention.

Did you know that both Berkshire Hathaway and Samsung started in textiles and went on to reinvent themselves entirely? So what’s stopping today’s denim suppliers from doing the same? Why should mills settle for scraps when companies like Loro Piana and Zegna showed how textile makers can build global luxury brands?

This is a rare, brutally honest conversation about uncomfortable truths and how facing them might just be the first step toward a better future for the industry.

Connect with Umer Farooq Qureshi