Our Story
Jack A. Weil “Papa Jack” founded Rockmount Ranch Wear in 1946. He was the oldest CEO in the world, working daily until age 107. He is to Western wear what Henry Ford is to the car.
Papa Jack made the first Western shirts with snaps and was key to popularizing Western fashion. He was also the first to commercialize bolo ties.
I’ve always believed we were never selling just the cowboy—we sell the romance of the West. That’s so much more... — Papa Jack
His son Jack B. joined the firm in 1954 and headed design and merchandising for fifty years. Jack B. was one of the first to introduce Western fashion east of the Mississippi. Steve, Rockmount’s third generation and current President, grew up in the business and joined the company in 1981. Steve expanded the business internationally and later took over design. He introduced Relaxed Fit shirts which are now an industry standard. Three generations of the Weil family represent the evolution of the Western business from regional, to national to international.
Steve literally wrote the book on Western Wear. His book Western Shirts: A Classic American Fashion chronicles the story of the people who popularized the fashion and surveys 70 years of design.
Today, with the addition of David Oksner, Papa Jack’s Great-Grandson, Jack B.’s Grandson and Steve’s Nephew, Rockmount is a four generation manufacturer of apparel, hats and accessories. The Rockmount brand is sold by 1,000 retailers worldwide from Santa Fe to Tokyo.
Papa Jack didn’t just create a new kind of shirt, he started a whole new fashion. He gave those who identify with the American Western way of life a style tailored specifically for them. Rockmount stands out from other fashion companies because we have maintained a consistency of design across four generations. We go our own direction and don’t look to other brands for our inspiration. — Steve Weil.
Museums including the Smithsonian and Autry Museum of the American West have Rockmount in their collections. Our signature “Sawtooth” pocket and “Diamond” snap design is considered the longest continuously made shirt in the USA.
Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, Robert Redford are customers, as were Elvis Presley, Ronald Reagan and David Bowie. See our Celebrity Gallery for more.
Rockmount’s many movie credits include: Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain (the shirts were later sold at auction for $101,000), Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe in The Misfits, Aidan Quinn in Practical Magic, Robert Redford in The Horse Whisperer, Nicholas Cage in Red Rock West, Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid in Flesh & Bone, and Woody Harrelson in The Cowboy Way.
Rockmount’s Media Archive includes NPR, CNN, CBS Evening News, Fox, The Economist, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Esquire, Vogue, and Gentleman’s Quarterly features.
The West is not a place, it's a state of mind. — Papa Jack
The Rockmount flagship store is a historic landmark built in 1909 in lower downtown Denver (LoDo). Rockmount is the last remaining early business in the neighborhood. It also features a museum of vintage Rockmount apparel and other Western memorabilia.
Few companies span the birth of Western fashion to the internet age. It goes to show that an innovative small family business with unique designs can compete in this age of retail disruption dominated by massive cyber entities. Rockmount remains committed to the beauty of the West and the role of individuals.
