Article 001 - The Girlfriend Jacket
Dillon Montara began in 2013 in San Francisco as a collaboration between Steven Heard and Robert Patterson. At the time, Steven was helping clothing brands design and produce high quality garments, and Robert was a serial entrepreneur. They decided to start a new business together. The name Dillon Montara came from two beaches that bookend San Francisco - Dillon Beach to the north, and Montara Beach, south of Pacifica - places that feel quiet and mysterious, removed from urgency. One of the first garments they released was the Girlfriend Jacket.
The unexpected pocket
Slightly off-center
The Girlfriend Jacket is rooted in familiar workwear forms that are relaxed and easy to wear. But on the back of the jacket is a pocket sewn slightly askew, something whimsical that just made sense. In Robert's words "That back pocket came to me while walking with my partner in San Francisco. Too cold always. She always put her arm around me and I thought we should put a pocket there..." When the jacket was first released, Dillon Montara was featured prominently in San Francisco magazine. The jacket stood out not because it demanded attention, but because it quietly proposed a different way of thinking about clothing: a garment designed to enjoy, and to connect one person to another.
Kuroki selvedge denim, single needle construction
The Kuroki denim will age beautifully. The construction is careful and the details are ones we like in the clothing we wear. Each jacket is made to order and only a small number will be produced.
And the pocket remains — slightly off-center, exactly where it belongs.
The Girlfriend Jacket exists to suggest that garments can do more than clothe the body. It invites physical closeness.
We hope you enjoy this reincarnation of the Girlfriend Jacket as much as we do.
Dillon Montara existed only for a short time, from 2013 to 2016. After the brand went dormant, Steven continued refining his craft, creating clothing for many brands. Despite time passing, the notion of the Girlfriend Jacket stayed with him.
An original, revisited
In 2023, Steven and his new partner, Rick Levine, decided to bring Dillon Montara back, honoring its focus: well-considered garments made with care and intention, and with customer delight firmly in mind. The first piece to return could only be the first piece the brand ever made.
This new release of the Girlfriend Jacket stays true to the original, but Steven's refined it, reflecting on how his skills and attitudes have matured as he's aged. He's considered who might wear it, and why. It hasn't changed much, but it's better.