Mount Vernon Mills CEO Bill Rogers gives White Oak's Looms a New Life episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 30, 2026 · 45 MIN

Mount Vernon Mills CEO Bill Rogers gives White Oak's Looms a New Life

from Heddels Blowout · host Heddels

For the past decade or so, there has been one white whale (or rather a pod of white whales) among raw denim fanatics, whose course has been followed with great interest since they left their home in North Carolina to move to Louisiana and now they have relocated again to Georgia.I am of course referring to the Draper X-3 shuttle looms, the forebearers of American selvedge denim from the late great Cone Mills White Oak plant in Greensboro. I got to speak with Bill Rogers, the president and CEO of their new home at Mount Vernon Mills, where the mills are again operational and expected to ship their first rolls of selvedge denim in just a matter of weeks.We discussed the history of American milling, why it’s still important to make fabric here, and why Mount Vernon has what it takes to keep these looms running well into the future. So keep listening to hear about the next chapter of American selvedge denim.

For the past decade or so, there has been one white whale (or rather a pod of white whales) among raw denim fanatics, whose course has been followed with great interest since they left their home in North Carolina to move to Louisiana and now they have relocated again to Georgia.I am of course referring to the Draper X-3 shuttle looms, the forebearers of American selvedge denim from the late great Cone Mills White Oak plant in Greensboro. I got to speak with Bill Rogers, the president and CEO of their new home at Mount Vernon Mills, where the mills are again operational and expected to ship their first rolls of selvedge denim in just a matter of weeks.We discussed the history of American milling, why it’s still important to make fabric here, and why Mount Vernon has what it takes to keep these looms running well into the future. So keep listening to hear about the next chapter of American selvedge denim.

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Mount Vernon Mills CEO Bill Rogers gives White Oak's Looms a New Life

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This episode was published on April 30, 2026.

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For the past decade or so, there has been one white whale (or rather a pod of white whales) among raw denim fanatics, whose course has been followed with great interest since they left their home in North Carolina to move to Louisiana and now they...

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