Mission Workshop Reveals “The Mission Jean” and “Unagi Knife.”

Mission Workshop

The Mission Jean is our version of the most iconic apparel silhouette of all time: the blue jean. Built in Los Angeles from precision Italian textile with extreme 4-way stretch and water-repellent finish, the Mission Jean is designed to achieve a level of performance beyond what has been possible in the past.

The Mission Jean is not made from traditional indigo denim. Instead, it utilizes an advanced stretch-woven fabric developed exclusively for Mission Workshop by Mectex S.p.a. at their mill near Lake Como in Italy.

This fabric achieves an extremely high level of 4-way stretch without sacrificing durability or structure. The result is a fabric with a tough workwear-like appearance, but that has extraordinary freedom of movement similar to knit track pants. The fabric will also not bag out no matter how long the pants are worn.

While wear-testing these jeans, a few of us wore them for over ten days straight to work, while traveling, on a bike, to the climbing gym, and even to bed — and they never chafed, smelled, wrinkled, or bagged out.

Made in small batches in Los Angeles.

Built to endure.

Mission Workshop Mission Jean Gearminded.com

The Fit and First Impressions:

We just received our first pair of Mission Jeans! Although my expectations are always very high for Mission Workshop, they didn’t disappoint. The black denim is flawless in color with an even tone (dark) throughout — these are perfect for business casual. They really standout with their lightweight in comparison to most fitted denim. The seams are all very clean, and the pockets offer just enough flex for your phone or wallet while retiring to form when empty.

I wear a size 30×32 in nearly every pant so I ordered accordingly. The 30 in the Mission Jean fits true to size, with enough flex for plenty of breathing room. I’m not a huge fan of belts and won’t be needing one with these. The added elasticity of these jeans offers freedom like I haven’t felt in a while… both physically and mentally. They have made it through their first day of use and I have no plans to remove them — after ten hours of wear I usually need to put some shorts on.

I went with the skinny fit as all of my denim is fairly tight fitting. Even with the one-inch reduction in material (from the regular fit) these still offer more room than most skinny jeans. I admit, my chicken legs are well suited for higher denim, but even so, these could be the gateway denim for those looking to transition to the tight side. At 5’10” the jeans do run long on me with about two inches to spare at the foot — good thing I comfortable with a two-inch cuff!

All in all, the lightweight, color, and flexibility has made a near perfect first impression. They made it through the work day, now its time for the bike.

The Unagi Limited Edition Frame-lock Knife 

Dave Rydbom is known in the knife community for building rare and beautiful high-end custom knives. He only makes 100 of them a year, and when he opens his order book each January 1st at noon, all of the available spots are sold out within 30 minutes.

Dave’s knives are virtually indestructible—he takes pride in creating blades and frames that are some of the most durable and functional in the world. Which is why, when we started the process of creating the first limited production knife to carry the Mission Workshop logo, Dave was the first maker we talked to about collaborating on the project.

From the start, we wanted to create something truly compelling and unique — with a minimalist aesthetic and high utility. Dave captured this vision perfectly with a design he would eventually name The Unagi.

The frame of the Unagi is made from strong and light 6AL-4V (Grade 5) titanium, and the blade is made from CPM154 stainless steel. CPM154 is a high-grade blade steel that wears longer, is easier to maintain, and has better corrosion and heat resistance than conventional blade steels. The blade is slightly less than 3” long, striking a great balance between functional and compact, and is considered 50-state legal.

The limited production run of 200 Unagi knives were handmade by Dave’s friend Chad Nichols and his crew at Nichols Damascus in Blue Springs, Mississippi — one of the few remaining small-batch knife makers in the U.S.A. After production, each knife is personally inspected, tuned, and sharpened by Dave.

The Unagi is guaranteed forever. If you want to own one knife to keep and use for the rest of your life, this is it.

The Unagi is a limited edition knife. Only 200 will ever be made.

Mission Workshop Unagi Knife Gearminded.com Mission Workshop Unagi Knife Gearminded.com

Ships with a custom Arkiv-compatible carrying case that will attach to most belts and to any Arkiv-compatible Mission Workshop bag or pack.

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