Tender was originally founded in 2009 by William Kroll, based in London and produced in small workshops and apartments around England, the brand focused on a very “organic” type of workwear, blending contemporary styles with historical dyeing techniques, custom textiles, and unique details. In 2025, William and the brand moved to Pennsylvania, USA, where much of the production now lives as well — though it still remains strongly connected to its English roots and inspiration.

Standard & Strange carried some stock from Tender almost a decade ago, back when we were just a single store in Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood, and we’re very pleased to be bringing it back into our lineup in 2026. It’s a brand we feel particularly fond of, and one that fits really well alongside so many of the other small and artisanal brands we carry — creating styles unlike anyone else we’ve encountered at a remarkably high quality, with a deep passion for craft at every level of production.

The Fall/Winter ‘26 collection features a selection of our favorite things from Tender: 16oz selvedge denim, oversized wool jackets, flowy shirts, botanical dyes, and heavy-duty construction. Notably this season, every piece has been cut “sideways” (with the fabric laid out long instead of tall), allowing for wider panels and turning horizontal stripes into vertical ones. The whole set is really meant to be lived in, getting better and better as things break in, dyes fade, and creases set, forming to your body and lifestyle as you wear it. Though the proportions can look particularly exaggerated when Tender’s pieces are photographed flat, we encourage you to come try some on and get a feel for the excellent fits, and to see how naturally the garments move with you.

The Shirtmaker's Jean Jacket is a denim jacket reinterpreted through the eyes of a Jermyn Street shirtmaker. London's Jermyn Street is an historic and international capital of shirtmaking, and this jacket borrows more tailoring details from dress shirts than denim jackets, functioning well as a mid-layer shirt jacket. It's cut with a single roomy chest pocket, a two-piece shaped collar, and a partial lining through the yoke. It's cut without side seams, instead meeting at the back, where the selvedge ID has also been positioned, and the sleeves are sewn up "upside down" with casual split cuffs.

Tender’s 16oz selvedge denim all starts the same way: designed by Tender, this custom fabric is woven in Japan, then shipped to Tender in its loomstate (unwashed and unfinished) for cutting, overdyeing, and/or washing. The indigo base is applied traditionally, using ringspung American cotton yarns that are hand-dipped 25 times, resulting in an exceptionally deep blue that will fade dramatically with wear. The fabric is heavily starched during the weaving process, arriving at Tender in an extra stiff shrink-to-fit state and gaining dramatic amounts of fabric twist (as well as developing deep creases) during the finishing process.

The color “brown hat” is this season’s hadal color, Tender’s name for their deepest and most pure dyes. This time around, the color is 100% brown, with no tonal adjustments, inspired by the color of the hat worn in Michiel Sweerts' painting, “Man Holding a Jug” (1660). Here, Tender’s 16oz selvedge is finished with a brown overdye, tinting the weft a deep brown hue in addition to softening and shrinking the fabric. Over time, the dark brown overdye will fade in tandem with the indigo exterior, producing a more rich and earthy patina. Just like their other denim, this fabric is extremely full of dye, and will crock (bleed) indigo onto surfaces and your body from wear — this effect will decrease over time, especially with washing.

Fits true to size. Wash cold with like colors and hang dry.

• 100% cotton
• 16oz custom selvedge denim from Japan
• Custom "brown hat" hadal overdye finish
• Rinsed
• Two-piece shaped collar
• Metal shank buttons
• Single chest pocket
• No side seams
• Back seam selvedge detail
• Lined yoke
• Flat hem
• Split cuffs
• Upside-down sleeve construction
• True to size
• Cropped body
• Custom woven labels
• Wash cold and hang dry
• Made in the UK