An American craft tradition started by one family over 100 years ago. In 1863, a young English weaver named Thomas Kay had a vision of raising his own sheep and producing his own wool in America. Lacking suitable land, Kay sailed up and down the Atlantic and Pacific coasts in search of the ideal location. After four months at sea, Kay stopped in the new American state of Oregon. Once settled, Kay built his own family mill, teaching and eventually passing the business on to his eldest daughter Fannie.
From establishing Pendleton's first woolen mill in 1893 to establishing business relationships with Native American communities, Fannie helped build on her father's legacy. As her father did for her, Fannie passed the family tradition on to her three sons in 1898. Less than a year later, a virgin wool finishing department was operational and the first finished wool products were marketed, laying the foundation for Pendleton Woolen Mills. . Today, the tradition of wool and textile innovation established by Thomas Kay and his family underpins all Pendleton products.
PENDLETON SPRING SUMMER 2025
The Pendleton Journey West collection is a European exclusive collection inspired by the brand's original creator, Sheffield-born Thomas Kay. In the early 1860s, he made a pilgrimage to northwest America in search of fabric and textile paradise. The talented weaver settled in Oregon, and within a few years the Kay woolen mill was once one of the largest in the West. Using original jacquard prints and classic shapes from work and leisure wear, this exclusive collection is crafted with the heritage of Thomas Kay's Journey West.
