Rock On Papa Jack Weil

The man who made the shirts for the movie Brokeback Mountain, Papa Jack Weil, is still a fashion icon at the age of 106, and the oldest Chief Executive in America

Papa Jack Weil of Denver's Rockmount Ranch Wear turned 106 on Wednesday and received birthday congratulations from as far away as London. He made the news in The Times, Britain's leading national newspaper, for being the oldest chief executive in America.

Imagine being a style icon at the age of 106! In the fickle world of fashion, few things last longer than a season. But Papa Jack designed the perennially popular slim-fitting, snap-fastened shirt that came to define Western wear.

That was back in 1946, when Papa Jack opened the Rockmount Ranch Wear mercantile company in downtown Denver. Since then, the Rockmount label has been a favorite of a long list of rock stars and movie stars, from Eric Clapton to Robert Redford.

Most recently his shirts have graced the backs of Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, the stars of Brokeback Mountain. One shirt in particular even stole the closing scene.

Papa Jack originally came from Brooklyn, but like many people who settle in the West, he quickly embraced its independent spirit. He didn't invent the bolo tie, but he was the first to market it commercially.

It was Papa Jack who coined the phrase:"The West is not a place, it is a state of mind."

Over the years, as Rockmount expanded and refined its distinctive Western style, downtown Denver, where the store is located, became one of the hippest urban areas in the West. And Papa Jack still walks to work down Wazee Street, just as he's always done for the past 60 years.

Happy Birthday, Papa Jack. Rock on!

Read my article about Papa Jack's Rockmount store in Denver by clicking here.