It’s no small feat to ride a horse and juggle at the same time, but Jenna Paulette has managed that — metaphorically speaking at least.
She’s a working cowgirl, country music artist and a new mom. And on Friday, Paulette can add apparel designer to her résumé when she introduces her inaugural collection of CowboyGirl apparel exclusively at 200 Boot Barn stores around the country. The collection was created with Ely & Walker, an authentic Western wear brand whose history dates to 1878 and whose best-known product is the Ely Cattleman shirt.
“I’ve been dreaming of this brand for five years,” Paulette said. When she’s riding around on her family’s Oklahoma ranch, she always wears men’s pearl snap shirts that she borrows from her grandfather or picks up in vintage shops because the existing women’s offering is not practical.
Jenna Paulette
Wes Walker
That frustration led her to start envisioning an alternative that could be shaped and functional yet feminine, with a tailored waist and a back that is long enough to stay tucked in when roping and riding, extra room in the bust and shoulder, a longer sleeve to swing a rope, and a pen hole in the pocket to keep count of cattle.
“And I wanted it to look pretty too — but not too pretty,” she said, adding that she’s drawn to vintage ‘70s pieces from Wrangler and H Bar C which offered shirts with feminine details.
The shirts are feminine but not frilly.
courtesy of Boot Barn
That led her to Ely & Walker, which was open to working with her on a new collection targeted to women. Although Paulette had initially thought she might collaborate with Wrangler, a brand she respects and whose jeans she has worn her entire life, she opted to partner with a smaller company that she believed would be able to “nail the vintage look” she was envisioning.
“A lot of womenswear has fringe and rhinestones, but that’s not for the Western working woman,” she said.
So she pitched her idea to the Ely & Walker team, which has a long history dressing actual cowboys and cowgirls.
The result is the CowboyGirl Grandaddy Snap Shirt collection whose designs are inspired by patchwork quilts and cross-stitching. “People who live this lifestyle have hand-me-down quilts,” she said, “and I remember my grandmother cross-stitching in the parlor. I wanted this line to have deep roots and be something that could be passed down.” The first drop will encompass nine shirt styles and a denim jacket. In February, the line will be refreshed with six additional patterns. The shirts will retail for $39.99 to $44.99 and the denim jacket for $79.99.
Paulette was especially thankful that Boot Barn also embraced it. “I was five months pregnant and flew to their office in California with anxiety and hope,” she said. And she found that the buying team was all in.
“Having it in 200 stores is the biggest win in my book,” she said.
A promotional piece for the collection.
Courtesy of Boot Barn
“Introductions of new collections into the niche market of Western apparel, especially when it is developed for working cowgirls, are difficult,” said Chris Stein, president of Ely & Walker. “Boot Barn has been a long-time partner of Ely Cattleman and we couldn’t be more excited in their partnership to launch CowboyGirl by Jenna Paulette x Ely Cattleman. Their experienced women’s team had already identified that there was a need in the marketplace for functional women’s range wear and Jenna Paulette’s CowboyGirl was the perfect fit.”
Paulette is confident that the collection will sell and is already working with the Ely & Walker team on the next collection.
She credited the team at Ely & Walker as well as her personal team for helping this vision become reality while she was pregnant, touring and releasing her latest album, “Horseback.” Many of the songs on the album are influenced by her work on the ranch.
Women are able to work on the ranch while wearing the shirts.
Courtesy of Boot Barn
“It’s been a whirlwind, but I have a strong team on the music side and at Ely Cattleman, and I have an amazing mom and mother-in-law and a wonderful husband [to help with the baby,]” she said.
Paulette, whose music is stone-cold country, believes that her style is about to break through. “There’s been a void in country music but the traditional side is coming back,” she said. “There was bro country and then pop country, but people seem to be craving the traditional side now.”
She pointed to the newfound success of Zach Top, a heavily traditional singer-songwriter, whose single “I Never Lie” has broken through at country radio. He is also nominated for New Artist of the Year at the upcoming Country Music Association awards.
“I’ve been pursuing country music for 11 years,” Paulette said, “but my whole life is about never giving up. Quitting is not an option.”
