Brand profile

Fort Lonesome

Austin studio hand-cranking vintage chainstitch machines into Western patches, tees and bespoke rhinestone stagewear.

AustinOrigin

UnisexFocus

Workwear / HeritageStyle

$$Price

Shop Fort Lonesome ↗

4 brands like Fort Lonesome like Bode, Kapital, Wrangler →

What to know about Fort Lonesome

Hand-cranked chainstitch is the product

A collective of artists works vintage Singer machines by hand, so the embroidery itself — not the garment blank — is what you are buying.

Two price worlds, one studio

Sew-on patches, tees and caps stay under $100, while bespoke rhinestone suits and stagewear are commissioned one-offs that cost far more.

Known for commission work

The studio has embroidered for Levi's, Patagonia, Imogene + Willie and Madewell alongside musicians and actors, under painter Kathie Sever, in western wear since 2000.

StyleWorkwear / Heritage Avant-garde

If you like Fort Lonesome

88% match

Bode

$$$$Heirloom embellishmentNew York City, United States

Antique textiles and hand-embellished one-of-a-kind pieces

What changes: Runway pricing and full designer collections, not commissions

Shop Bode 18 brands like Bode →

78% match

Kapital

$$$$Patchwork craftOkayama, Japan

Patchwork and visible hand-stitch craft, indigo instead of chainstitch

What changes: Japanese boro/workwear vocabulary, no Western or rhinestone stagewear

Shop Kapital 17 brands like Kapital →

70% match

Wrangler

$$Western basicsGreensboro, United States

Core Western silhouettes at mass scale — snap shirts, Cowboy Cut

What changes: Mass-produced basics with no bespoke or embroidery work

Shop Wrangler 25 brands like Wrangler →

66% match

Blue Blue Japan

$$$Artisan dyeTokyo, Japan

Hand-dyed, artisan-process garments from a small studio

What changes: Shibori/indigo Japanese aesthetic, no Americana iconography

Shop Blue Blue Japan 15 brands like Blue Blue Japan →

Brand facts

Fort Lonesome is an Austin, Texas chainstitch embroidery studio and Western wear label founded by trained oil painter Kathie Sever, who began working in western wear in 2000 and rebranded her Ramonster children's line as Fort Lonesome in 2014. A collective of artists hand-cranks vintage Singer machines to produce sew-on patches, tees, caps, one-of-a-kind patched garments and bespoke rhinestone suits and stagewear. Commissions include Levi's, Patagonia, Imogene + Willie and Madewell, plus musicians and actors. Retail patches and shirts run under $100; custom pieces cost far more. Sold direct and at STAG Provisions.

Founded: 2014
Origin: Austin, United States
Price: $$
Focus: Unisex
Styles: Workwear / Heritage, Avant-garde

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