We recently caught up with Danh Tran, founder of the luxe menswear line, Buttercloth™. Danh was referred to as an inventor by his colleagues, which I understood as a leader in innovation. He is also a skilled clothing designer. Born in Vietnam, Danh cultivated technical skills at the age of ten in his family’s tailor shop. Soon after his family immigrated to California, Danh began to study fashion and design. His first big break came designing clothes for Barbie® dolls at Mattel.
After graduation from the Otis College of Art and Design, Danh worked at 7 for All Mankind® and other notable designers for a decade. During this time, Danh redirected his talents and personal resources to launch his menswear brand, Buttercloth™. This endeavor began with just four employees in a small garage. This garage enterprise began in an opportune moment, as they were soon shipping out 20 shirts a day within the US. Fast forward to 2018, Danh pitched his expansion goals on ABC’s Shark Tank. Danh received $250,000 in seed money from investor Robert Herjavec.
Since Robert Herjavec is a Canadian investor on Shark Tank, the big question was when Danh plans to relaunch Buttercloth in Canada. The answer is soon, as they had plans to relaunch in their third quarter, although Covid brought a few delays. Yet it is noted that Buttercloth has recently designed chic and reversible face masks in response to the shortages.
Onwards to Buttercloth’s fabric. I can verify that it lives up to its namesake. Danh’s creative team believes that the fabric is the hook. Buttercloth uses 100% long fiber cotton. The longer the natural cotton fiber, the softer and more durable it usually is.
To speak with authenticity, I requested a swatch sample of the fabric to be sent to Toronto. Danh’s team generously sent along with a men’s button-down shirt in a size large.
As a woman, I truly appreciate and wear men’s traditional button-down shirts. I tried on the Buttercloth sample for a sense of the feel. What I noticed was the attention to detail, such as the weaving process which is known as a double finished technique. What this really means is that it is finished on both sides. It feels soft inside and out. That is what is special about the Buttercloth shirt, the feel, and the stylish cut. If you like intricate details such as voguish buttons and a topstitch in non-traditional colours, you will appreciate the overall construction.
The second person to try on the shirt was my son, who has a slim build, and about six feet tall. He wasn’t in the mood to try on clothes, so I asked him to touch the fabric. He obliged, then took off his own shirt and tried the Buttercloth on immediately. He didn’t know I was writing about this product. He simply said, “thanks. I like it. I will keep it,” and walked away wearing the shirt. Even though I chose to have this shirt dry cleaned, it can go through a gentle cold water cycle. Other tips for general care is to tumble air dry and no heat, according to Danh. I prefer dry cleaning as it came back in the same condition it arrived.
We hope to see Danh’s clothing line expand back into Canada. Additionally, we would love to see what Danh comes up with for women’s wear, as he has plans for a women’s line in 2021.
Buttercloth shirts currently retail from $98 to $118 USD. For more information, email: info@buttercloth.com or (800) 203-2650 – or www.buttercloth.com.