AVANT Magazine Volume 6 — Stifel, The American Blue Dream

AVANT Magazine is a biannual magazine founded by Eric Maggiori. It focuses on the relationship between clothing, history and its impact on our current society. 

After five anthologies dedicated to workwear, military and western wear, AVANT devotes its sixth issue to a brand that makes collectors the world over dream: Stifel.

This is the first book ever published on Stifel by AVANT. We trace the life and legacy of the Stifel family, who for over a century produced some of the finest calico fabrics in the United States — including the legendary Wabash cloth: indigo-dyed blue fabric with white dots, stamped with the famous boot symbol.

Today, workwear made with Stifel Wabash is considered the Holy Grail. Why are these garments so fascinating? Why have they become so scarce — and so expensive on the vintage market? To answer, we interviewed everyone who keeps the Stifel story alive: collectors, historians, fabric specialists, vintage dealers, and even the descendants of the Stifel family.

The result is a deep dive into an American industrial saga — and a tribute to how one man’s dream reshaped an industry and still resonates nearly two centuries later.